Heirs of Fate
by 7th Librarian
Summary: The son of Maximillion Pegasus. The daughter of Seto Kaiba. Their fortunes have been intertwined since before they were born by corporate dealings and the whims of past destinies. They have worked to escape the shadows of the two men who changed the world. But now, as a crimson star begins to shine amongst the sea of stars, their inheritance has come due. And that cost is heavy.
1. A Proposal

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __A little more than ten years ago, I published my first story on fanfiction. Entitled on 'On Dragon's Wings', it was little more than a mess of half-baked ideas, borrowed fighting styles and broken card combos that my anime-saturated brain could produce. And I eventually took it down. But the ideas in it always stuck with me._

_Now, ten years wiser, experienced and a lot sillier, I am revisiting that story and its concepts. There will be company politics, shenanigans, card games resolving a lot of problems, emotional moments and more than likely some harem-style silliness. (Because even after ten years, I can't let go of some ideas!)_

_For anyone looking to place this on a timeline, this story takes about twenty-one years after Yu-gi-oh GX and thus, thirty-one years after the events of the original Yu-gi-oh. The only other major change is that an alternate version of the 'Dark Side of Dimensions' film happened just after the end of GX, instead after original Yu-gi-oh, for reasons that'll be shown later._

_Now, for your reading (and reviewing) enjoyment, I present the first step in this decade old journey._

Chapter 1: A Proposal

"_Bellerophon, if you weren't Pegasus' son, I'd run you up the nearest flagpole by your ankles! And I've half a mind to do it, anyway!"_

The Industrial Illusions Board of Directors were not good people.

They were conniving, scheming and ruthless, willing to exploit any opportunity to grab one extra dollar to fill their pockets. Over the last fifty years, they had crushed every competitor, bought out every rival and exploited nearly the entire population of the world in every conceivable fashion in order to perpetuate and maintain the all-consuming money-factory that was the Duel Monsters card game.

When he had been younger, Bellerophon 'Lero' Pegasus had been frightened of them. They were large adults and larger still with their cold, curt attitudes, stiff-edged suits and razor-like glares. Their world of business, finance and bureaucracy so alien to him that it might have been another planet. One inhabited by monsters and terrors like them, that could cut to the quick with a word or a glance if a little child dared so much as to stick a toe into their territory.

Even now, years later and far better informed about that alien world, Lero still found some of the old fear welling up within him as he regarded them through the massive screen that had been split into separate boxes to handle the six-way connection. Without the distance of a boardroom table in between them, their closeness on the screen gave Lero a perfect view of their glares, stoic glowers and in a couple of cases, unfortunate nose hair. He refused to back down - this was too important. These six bastards had crossed a line and he was going to nail them for it.

Even if those looks gave the impression they'd like nothing more than to fry the lilac-haired Egyptian boy and his off-cream suit off the face of the earth. But Lero just smiled like they were his best friends. "Hey now, that's not too friendly of you, Mister Sinnoh. And you should be careful promising to do such a thing like that. Someone could get hurt doing something so physically demanding. Like your waistline."

"_Don't you be a smartass like your father, boy! You ain't got the skills to back it up or the wit to make it actually funny!" _Jonathan Sinnoh's thick Texas accent was only topped by his girth and cowboy hat. Anger mottled his ruddy complexion and made his body jiggle. _"But I suppose insulting us is just another bullet point of the list of mistakes you made today!"_

"_And standing atop that list is this childish stunt you've pulled in a very stupid attempt to undercut us."_ The speaker was Azure Kanto, her pink glasses doing nothing to soften the edges of her angular face or maybe it was the fact her hair bun was too tight. Either way, Lero felt that if she tried to kiss someone, that chin would slice open their jugular. _"Announcing two new summoning mechanics for Duel Monsters at once."_

"Duel Monster's 50th anniversary is coming up and I thought I'd invite the whole world to celebrate with me." Lero shrugged with a smile. "It's not like I had much choice; there was no way I could ever get enough cake to feed that many people!"

"_Don't be coy, Lero."_ Alder Unova, I2's Chief Financial Officer. Neat gray hair and spectacles led one to believe he was a kindly old grandpa, but Lero knew the old man would sooner hack off his own limb then give any money to anyone. _"You made those announcements without our knowledge or permission. Knowing full well you do not run Industrial Illusions!"_

"I am the son of Maximillion Pegasus, I _own _Industrial Illusion." Lero could feel his smarmy facade cracking and winced internally. How did his father act like a smartass all the time without losing his temper?

"_Not yet, you do not. Until you turn twenty-one, the terms of your father's will dictates that we are to hold the company in our autonomy." _Wally Hoen's voice was as high as his reed-thin profile suggested it would be, to the point it caused a bit of static over the channel. "_And as the Head of Research and Development, you are in _our _employ. Making such promises is more than grounds enough for termination."_

"Then go ahead and tell me 'I'm fired!'. C'mon, I'm sure one of you is channeling the spirit of Donald Trump. Let's see how memetastic you can make it." Lero crossed his arms and waited. But not a one of the figures rose to the challenge even as the tension ratcheted up a few notches. "You can't and you won't because as I'm the only Pegasus alive right now, I'm the President. And company by-laws clearly state there's nothing you six can do to remove me. But I can certainly find a new Board of Directors."

"_Don't you think to threaten us, child. It won't end well for you at all." _Darrius Alola spoke up. He had a reputation for being as fierce as a tiger and his lean, weathered face, dark hair streaked with gray and perpetually brooding eyes supplemented the impression. _"We have many decades of experience at our disposal, Lero and it behooves you to make use of it instead of antagonizing us."_

"Funny. I tried to do that six months ago after the Battle City II fiasco and you all flatly denied me then. And if you were truly willing to work with me, you'd be happy that I want to improve Duel Monsters and breathe some life back into it." Lero's eyes narrowed.

"_There's a difference between wanting to improve something and how to actually go about it. Changes do not happen overnight. You haven't even had proof-of-concept or playetesting, yet you plan to announce these new mechanics and a world tournament by year's end without consideration to the amount of preparation and effort just one of those moumental tasks requires.. What you need to understand, Lero-" _Kanto was cut short as Lero shot to his feet, desk chair crashing behind him as his hands slammed onto the desk.

"What I understand is that you've been trying to finalize a deal to sell off my father's company behind my back, you money-grubbing bastards!"

Silence reigned, Lero returning their earlier glares a thousandfold as all six faces flickered in surprise. But that's all it was - a flicker, a muscle twitch in the cheek, an eyebrow unable to stop itself from jumping and then every member Board had schooled their faces into perfect non-emotion.

"You didn't think I'd notice that you lot were sending out feelers to other gaming companies? That I wouldn't hear through the grapevine of suddenly a lot of personnel were be scouted on the side? Or that a bunch of potential, reluctant business partners started making very one-sided offers in their favor? Or how money was being quietly shuffled away from the R&D, Marketing and Production departments?" Lero scowled at them. "We can add forgetting the fact I _run _R&D to the list of stupid mistakes today, hmm?"

Sinnoh's jaw muscles twitched in repressed anger, causing his jowls to wobble while his hat bobbed. _"Bellerophon, we've spent the better our lives building this company into what it is. And despite what you think, you don't have a say in how-"_

"I don't goddamn care what you all want!" Lero snapped. "You six haven't a single shred of loyalty except to your almighty dollar and so help me, I will do everything in my power to keep you from my father's company!"

"_Leave it to a brat to think that shouting bold words in defiance will solve a problem." _Unova snorted. "_You can have your speeches, boy. This is happening whether you like it or not."_

"But will it happen when our stock plummets?" Lero waited for them to all give him looks of irritated confusion before continuing. "I know enough about your plans that you've arranged for the sale to be finalized within six months. That's half a year before I want my tournament and my new game mechanics that the whole world knows is coming. We'd lose a lot of reputation and shareholder trust if I had to announce that we can't follow through on the biggest event in gaming history because we're going out of business."

"_The company would still be worth more than enough for our purposes." _Kanto informed him bluntly, but there wasn't much force behind her words.

"Not enough to make selling it in chunks worthwhile and there aren't _any_ gaming companies around that could buy the whole of I2 out in one go. Not unless you want to sell it for pennies on the dollar." Lero straightened, folding his arms as his dark expression became a smirk. "And no one would bother offering any reasonable deal if they couldn't get Duel Monsters."

"_What're you on about, boy?"_ Sinnoh glared, leaning forwards with malice in his expression. "_Industrial Illusions owns Duel Monsters."_

"No, Industrial Illusions _produces_ Duel Monsters. The Pegasus family _owns_ Duel Monsters. We hold the patent." Lero watched that little fact sink in on their expression. It wasn't anything big, just a slight downwards curve of their lips or a twitch of an eyebrow. The tension of the room thickened. "If you try to sell this company from out from under me, I will leave it and take Duel Monsters with me when I do."

The silence filled the room at Lero's words. The Board members could no longer hide their anger, but years of professionalism meant that even that open emotion was schooled to a lethal razor's edge. Lero did his best to mask his feeling of triumph and as the silence stretched on, the triumph faded to be replaced by a twisting snake of worry. Part of him knew that they were silent because they couldn't figure out a response to his statement that wouldn't acknowledge the edge he held, but the rest of him was worrying that they were simple waiting for him to speak first so they could somehow undercut him. They had, in total between them, nearly two-hundred and fifty years of running and managing the world's largest gaming company.

Lero had not even two.

After what felt like an eternity, Darrius shifted a bit and broken the spell on them all with a rap of his cane on the ground. _"I applaud your sudden appearance of a spine, Bellerophon. Perhaps we have misjudged you. And it would not do for I2's Board and owner to be at odds. Quite damaging to our reputation and overall well-being. Very well. I offer my word that the Board will cease attempting to sell Industrial Illusions."_

Lero felt relief swell in his heart, though he was careful not to show it. The other Board members weren't so careful, a couple of them letting out noises of surprise and the rest all glaring death at Darrius. _Maybe all I needed to do was to be aggressive-_

"_Of course, we will be expecting reciprocation on such future endeavors."_

The surprise was total on the Board members and Lero swallowed his relief so thickly he just about choked on it. "Excuse me?"

"_I have faith that you'll succeed in your new game mechanics. But they're going to need a proper venue in which to be displayed and we do need a proper celebration for Duel Monsters 50th Anniversary."_

The relief exited his throat, becoming a dead weight that splashed in his stomach and made it churn. "I thought I said the new mechanics were the anniversary celebration-"

"_Nonsense. If you're going to celebrate something, its best to due it style and pizzazz, boy. Not to mention giving the public what they didn't know what they wanted."_

The weight went cold and Lero felt it crawl through his insides. "What...what did you have in mind?"

"_Why, another Duelist Kingdom tournament. With the title of King of Games up for grabs." _Darrius smiled like a viper at the surprise on Lero's face. "_We'll even start it on the same day as the original. Which is about six months from now."_

The other Board members were nodding and smiling at this and Lero felt his heart skip a beat. "But the island isn't nearly up-to-date enough…"

"_With our support and the resources of your father's company behind you, I'm sure you can have it ready and waiting for all of the eager duelists. We'll make the announcement soon. Perhaps, if you're lucky, you can offer some of those new cards you're so sure will revolutionize the game as prizes." _Darrius paused with purpose. _"If they're ready. Good luck, Bellerophon. We'll be in touch."_

With that, all the screens winked out and plunged the office into darkness.

And left Lero alone with himself and how completely played he had just been.

TTTTTTT

The bath water was beginning to lose its warmth and the suds had long since dissolved away, but Lero paid it little mind as he floated, staring up at nothing on the ceiling. The stonework had no fresh inspiration for him, just as cold and stark as the facts.

With his father in a coma, the Board did have full legal control of the company. As Pegasus' adopted heir and son, Lero was technically the company's owner. But he was only twenty. He would come into full legal ownership and CEO status until he hit twenty-one, according to his father's will.

Which was why the Board was intending to sell the company. Lero had the schooling, had the potential to run I2. But it had always been with the assumption that his father would be there to advise him for the first few years. Now that wasn't an option, Lero assuming control became a much riskier gamble. Pegasus had been in charge for fifty years - he _was_ the company's face and the founder of Duel Monsters. Lero wanted to preserve that legacy so that future generations could enjoy Duel Monsters and more for another fifty years.

But that very legacy worked against him. Lero was a good duelist and an okay artist, but he certainly wasn't the sharp-minded businessman his father was. And the whole world had their own high expectations for anyone who had the Pegasus name, let alone anyone trying to fill Maximillion's seat.

_Taking over the company from Dad is like taking the sky off of Atlas' shoulders. _Lero sighed into the darkness. _And I'm no Hercules. I'm Bellerophon. I'm the horse Perseus thought he could ride to Mt. Olympus and gets them both killed when Zeus gets pissed at their arrogance._

Which was probably an apt description of his current predicament - Lero may not have _owned _I2 just yet, but he still was in charge of its Research and Development department. Which meant he had the clout and the knowledge to put his new Synchro and Xyz Summoning mechanics into place without the Board's approval. If he pulled it off, he'd have convinced the world (and himself) that he was ready to take over his father's company. This meant the Board couldn't announce selling the company without destroying its value, rendering the selling of it moot because they couldn't earn a profit.

But on the flip side, the Board was still perched atop their Mt. Olympus and all of them were armed with lightning bolts. If the two new mechanic failed or didn't catch on, then his own position would be too weak to resist the company being sold off. Profits had been down since his father's coma and if the trend continued, then they were currently in the sweet spot between the company still being worth billions and the point where someone bought it to save a dying game.

_Of course, none of this actually matters because I can't fly to Olympus with my new Synchro and Xyz Summoning until I fix all of its major issues. _Lero frowned at nothing in particular. _System overhauls, integration into the existing rules, new archetypes and card storylines, coding all the software for the Duel Ring servers...the list is practically endless._

Not that Lero felt he wasn't making progress. He'd come up with the idea just a couple of years ago, still reeling from his father's coma and a then-recent break-up with the girl he'd dated for the last three years. He spent weeks coming up with the name, the mechanics of it, the rules for it, even sketched out and got a few prototypes produced. Approaching KaibaCorp for this openness to the massive overhauls and software something this unprecedented required had taken a lot of courage, but he'd pulled it off and gotten their support.

_But this tournament they've forced on me is the albatross around my project's neck. I have to cram all the preparations into the next few weeks and then make it perfect. By the time this 'second Duelist Kingdom' is done, those vipers on the Board will have taken apart everything I've built and I won't be able to stop them._

His best bet was to find some way to delay the tournament from happening. He couldn't just ignore it - he was still an Industrial Illusions employee and the company held Duelist Kingdom in trust until, again, he turned twenty-one. The Board couldn't fire him thanks to who he was, but that didn't give him any authority over them, either.

_Maybe I should start a forest fire and burn half the island down. It's a bit extreme, but it would give an excuse to keep people off of it. Or I could- _Light suddenly flooded the room and Lero cried out as it flooded his too-sensitive eyes. Wrenching them closed, he threw an arm over his face and used the other to vainly swat the light away. "Plato! Seriously, what the hell are you doing!? I'm trying to relax!"

"You're trying to make yourself a prune and I'm not keen on raising a withered old fruit." The sharp click of expensive shoes on marble clashed against the amused voice of their owner. "You've been in there for three hours. It's time to come out of there before you wrinkle into old age."

"I don't think that's possible." Lero groused as he swam over to the side of the tub. "Though the stress might do that, instead."

"You are doing well so far, young sir. The Board is pressuring you as they are because they are convinced that your new ideas for the game may well succeed and that would mean they would be forced to yield to you." Plato appeared in front of him, helping Lero out of the water and apparently uncaring as water splashed a bit against his periwinkle suit.

"I don't understand how Dad managed to keep them in check. The moment he fell into that coma, these five were already figuring out how to slice up the pie."

"Your father kept them in check by not only ensuring the company was profitable, but his own brand of intimidation and cunning. None of them dared move against him because he could very well strip them of their wealth before dismissing them." Plato produced a fluffy towel and held it out to his charge before adding, "Of course, the fact that I2's by-laws state that the Board cannot remove the owner or appoint another person as CEO and only a Pegasus can hold those positions is important."

"Which means the gap in time between his accident and my birthday means it's the only time they're effectively in control." Lero began to dry himself, his frown deepening. "What I don't get is _why _they're suddenly keen on selling the company instead of salvaging it. Dad had always said he intended to give Duel Monsters an overhaul, so why not back me on mine?"

"Perhaps they're simply wishing to retire and felt they are owed more than their retirement plans would give them, so they're taking as much of the company with them as they can. They have been serving for more than half of their lives here. And some young man who isn't part of their little world coming into power is probably not a good sign to them."

"That's almost _too _simple an explanation, I think. If they were going for the money angle, why on earth would they want me to half-ass a second Duelist Kingdom like this? Even pay-to-play won't make them much more money or renew interest in the company if we're still using outdated equipment and stuff." Lero tossed the towel into a hamper and pulled a dark blue, star-covered robe from the wall.

"Are you thinking they are up to something shady, then? Illegal dealings?"

"It has to be something along those lines, Plato. The only good reason I can think of as to why they'd force me to do this tournament in six months is that they want me trapped here. If I'm stuck on this island, then I really can't do much to interfere with their plans." Lero tied the robe shut around him and started for the door, Plato falling into step behind him. "Let's look into that. Discreetly. But find anything that might relevant to those old bastards or I2 happening in the next month or so."

He snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. "Oh! Check into the company itself. They may be trying to dismantle R&D entirely or fold it into another department that's under their purview to try and take away my influence. Or make it easier to carve up the company for buyers. Things like that."

"Of course, young sir." Plato produced small tablet from his suit pocket, fishing a stylus out of the side. A flick of a switch and the device was one, Plato scrawling the instructions on the device. "Now, your lengthy bath has altered your schedule for today, but I have made the necessary alterations to keep us on task."

"Schedule?" Lero gave Plato a frown. "Plato, it's Spring Break. I'm on vacation. I don't even have any homework from my tutors. All I've got to work on is my summoning mechanics. What do I need a schedule for?"

Plato gave him an look, golden eyes amused over his half-moon glasses. "It is exactly because it is Spring Break that you have a schedule, Lero. We're still in the design phase of of Synchros and Xyz and you have several meetings this week with the Head of the Archaeological Division to gather more storyboarding material. Alongside that, Svelte of SchroderCorp has been clamoring to talk with you as well. You need to prep for that Netflix documentary on the history of Duel Monsters. Did you forget?"

"...I only forgot for a little bit…"

"We've been planning for it for the last month, sir."

"I hit my head getting out of bed this morning. Head trauma removed some of my memory."

"That would explain why your robe is on inside out."

Lero started, then glanced down at his bathrobe. Indeed, stitching was visible. "I'm a Pegasus. We like our clothing silly."

"That explains the Blue-Eyes Bunny Slippers."

Lero glanced down at his feet, wriggling and making the ferocious dragon heads flop their ears crazily. "They're comfy."

"They're also targets." Plato lifted an eyebrow as Lero gave him a confused look. "Several of your friends are arriving this week as well and I do believe they will find your footwear hilarious."

Lero regarded him warily. "_Which _friends?"

"Annalissa, to check up on your father's condition. And Jessiebelle." Plato watched blandly as Lero's eyes widened and the heir choked on some air. "To give you a condition, apparently. "

"I think she's some kind of vampire-succubus that lives off of teasing me and my resulting suffering." Lero sighed. "And her gloating."

"She does enjoy playing Duel Monsters, yes."

"No, she plays Duel Monsters like fish swim and grass grows. Seriously, she's already in the top ten in the world. Why does she feel the need to constantly duel me?" Lero groaned at the idea of getting his deck handed him to again.

Plato didn't seem bothered by the notion. "We do have tasers."

"I think that'd just give her _more _energy." Lero shook his head and raked his hand through his hair before giving his assistant another sigh. "What else did I forget?"

Plato flicked the stylus through the tablet again. "Your meeting with the Board and your bath ran long, so you haven't eaten lunch yet. Something I suggest you do."

Lero felt his stomach gurgle in agreement and then paused as a thought occurred to him. "Can you have the kitchen prepare something filling? I'll eat right after my meeting with Dad."

"Of course, sir." The adjutant nodded, tapping away with his stylus. "Might I also suggest you put on proper clothes? Your father _does_ have some standards when it comes to meetings."

Lero waggled his slipper clad feet. "...so I wear the Red-Eyes slippers?"

"Well, Master Pegasus is rather fond of Mister Wheeler."

TTTTTTT

Twenty minutes later, Lero stood out his father's door and fiddled with the knot of his ascot for what had to be the hundredth time. The silver piece of material was already fraying at one of the corners from the years of nervous abuse it had suffered and should have probably been replaced ages ago. But it had also been the first gift he'd ever gotten from his father and wearing it had always made the man smile.

It wasn't the only influence his father had had on him - Lero had a closet full of double-breasted suits, custom tailored to be relaxing and comfortable. 'A Pegasus should always look fashionable and present well' was advice that had been drilled into Lero since he was little and if he was going to carry on the family name, he might as well carry on the family fashion.

Though Lero drew the line at wearing the wine-colored suits his father seemed to have an endless supply of. There was a fine line between emulating and copying and the youth refused to cross it, as well stick to just one color. _His _suits were a pleasant, two-color combination of black, blue, green or off-cream and he liked it that way.

And no matter what his father thought, _none_ of it clashed with his purple hair. The old man was just jealous.

Smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of his suit, Lero tugged at the ascot again. It still felt too loose, but he could feel it pressing into his throat with every breath. Any tighter and he'd turn it into a noose. Which was probably an apt expression – even though it was just his father's room, going into felt like mounting the steps to the gallows.

_Come off it, Lero, You've done this plenty of times before. And dad's a great man, he'll listen to you without judging._ Lero sighed. _Even if you're risking the entire company on a bet and just got played by the Board like a fiddle. I'm sure he'll forgive you for nearly destroying his life's work. He's your dad, he loves you? Right? Right?_

No voice in his head offered a response and he wondered if that was a sign he was crazy or not for secretly hoping one would speak and put his mind at ease.

Still, now that he was here, there was no option but to open the door and go in.

Well, he could run down the hall and dive into his bed to hide under the covers, but he hadn't done that since he was eight. That one time his father tried to do karaoke for their guest a couple of years ago notwithstanding. _But if your parent was trying to get you sing a duet of 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better', it's a very reasonable reaction._

The door swung open in a smooth, weightless fashion – Lero didn't bother to knock. His father was expecting him.

The room was surprisingly mature for a man of Maximillion's reputation. A large drawing desk sat alongside a standard counterpart- both made of solid oak. Flanking them were bookshelves filled to the brim with everything from treatises on political theory to more roleplaying books and manuals than most stores had. The carpet was plush, soft without being spongy and the two big bay doors not only opened to the balcony with the best view of the ocean, but let plenty of natural light pour in. Even on cloudy days, Lero had never seen his father turn on the room's lights.

The room wasn't entirely spartan, though. Decorating the walls were hundreds if not thousands of get-well-cards, thank- yous and well-wishes that ranged from ornate and expensive to handcrafted out of construction paper and an excess of glitter. They were arranged as with an eye towards color and size, the second wallpaper a piece of art that Lero felt reflected his father's eccentricities and sense of style. Fun, cartoony chaos.

If Maximillian Pegasus had been awake to see, instead of kept alive by the machines and IV drips surrounding his bed, Lero was certain he would have agreed.

He seated himself in a chair that had been left at his father's bedside just for him. It was soft and comfortable, but he still struggled to get comfortable in it as he had the first time. Crossing and uncrossing his legs, leaning against one side or the other or even slouching. But like always, Lero managed to find some measure of success and moved on to the next step of his visit.

Talking to his father.

It never got any easier. His father had always been so full of joy and energy, first to crack a joke or offer a sympathetic speech. Maximillion Pegasus was not someone you spoke to, he was someone who you had a _conversation_ with. Even 'Hello' could evolve into five minutes discussing the weather and he'd make it sound exciting, too!

But to do this, to talk _at _him with no indication he as being heard – well, if the Luncindas hadn't insisted that coma patients had great odds of hearing what was going on around them and it would be therapeutic for them both, Lero would have never even bothered to be in the room. It just hurt too much. Sacred him too much. _What if Dad stops breathing on his own? What if he's gone and the machines are just faking his life?_

But the Lucindas, along with being the world's most prominent medical family, were _his _adopted family and he trusted them.

He hadn't many people to do that with.

"Hey, Dad." There it was again – that lump that threatened to choke out his voice every time he opened his mouth in this room. Like disturbing the machine's beeping was a sacrilege and God might punish him by making miss the last beep ever while he as talking.

Lero swallowed the lump. He wasn't little anymore and his father would be ashamed he let fear stop him from helping someone he loved. "I got the Board to go along with my changes to the game. But they outsmarted me. Now I've got to host a new Duelist Kingdom tournament in six months. And my only saving grace for that is I can give it a theme."

Lero stared down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs before speaking again. "You'll never guess where I got the background for the setting and lore. You know those stories we used to work on when I was little? The Kingdom of Stars? It took a little effort, but I made it work for the game, too. Never thought something bunch of magical, talking animals calling themselves the 'Royal Star Court' would ever go anywhere. But, I mean, we filled two whole notebooks and a scrapbook full of drawings and stories. And it was just sitting there, in your desk, like it was waiting…"

He let out a sigh. "I know I'm not supposed to dig around in your office, but I was desperate and out of time. The Board's locked me out of most of the company besides R&D – the department heads won't talk to me unless I badger them and that just makes me look weak and I'm stuck pulling off public performances like the Board's lapdog."

'I'm not good at it like you, Dad. Talking in public, getting a crowd stirred up. You always know how to break the tension, get people interested in what you had to say. And you are so good with kids. You know how to talk to them on their level. I just feel like I'm giving them a lecture or something, with the blank stares I get. But you're their best friend, even when you aren't talking about Duel Monsters. Hell,' Lero swallowed the lump as it threatened to crawl its way out again. "You're _my _best friend, Dad."

Silence as Pegasus didn't respond. But Lero knew his father would have agreed whole-heartedly. And with that big, goofy smile that came so easily to him. He could hear it now – _"Lero, my boy, I haven't got a 'best friend', but if I were to pick a friend I could not live without, you would fill the entire top ten list!" _-and followed by that sense of comedic pause Pegasus did so well – "_Well, Funny Bunny might edge his way into the number ten slot. We can't forget our heroes, after all."_

And then Lero would smile back, both of them knowing what he'd say before he said, but all the more happy because of its predictable certainty. "_Well, that just means you're my hero, Dad!"_

In the real world, the one where neither father or son were smiling, Lero felt hot tears well in the corner of his eyes. "You are my hero. You know that? I know…I know I didn't always tell you that. And it's more than the fact you adopted me and gave me a home and loved me. You're my hero because you never let anything stop you. You just smile, get up and keep going. You always know how to laugh at anything, how to make even your worst enemies respect you. You know Mokuba Kaiba was one of the first people to come when you fell? Fly in with Kayne and his wife and offered all the resources of KaibaCorp. Hell, he even made you this gigantic Blue-Eyes get well card and you kidnapped him once!"

The tears were running down his face freely now and Lero buried his face in his hands to let out a pained sob. "I'm not a hero, Dad. I'm not you. The Board - they're trying to sell the company. They don't give a damn about your work or your dream, they just want to stuff their pockets. I don't know how to stop it, I don't know if I can…I know you always wanted me to take over for you and everything, but if anything proves that I'm not capable of filling your shoes, this is it."

Lero produced a handkerchief and wiped his face with it, leaning back into the chair and closing his eyes. "Sorry about that, Dad. Been working late, getting up early, trying to step three steps of ahead of everyone. The game changes, talking with the board and the tourists later." He stifled a strained yawn. "I promise, I'll find a way…to save Duel Monsters…"

The promise hung in the air before fading, answered only by the steady beeping of machines.

TTTTTTT

"Sir? We have an issue."

Lero looked up from the laptop screen at the concern in Plato's voice before giving a sheepish look at his half-eaten, stone-cold dinner. "Well, we have a microwave around here somewhere, don't we?"

"Not that, sir. Though it would probably less of an insult to the chef if you didn't have to re-heat her meals every night." Plato slid into the room, a serious look on his face. "Could you switch over to the castle's air tower, please?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure." Lero, curious at the odd request, shrunk the spreadsheet he'd been battling for the last hour and brought up the right program. "We about to be invaded again? Or more loony fans?"

"We've been hailed, sir. By the last person I'd expect it to be."

"In that case, these Girl Scouts must _really _want to sell some cookies." Lero switched to the island's radar, not surprised to see a single dot on it on a course for his home. But what was surprising was the dot's nametag and he couldn't stop himself from letting out a low whistle. "The Blue-Eyes White Jet? Mokuba didn't tell me he was coming."

"It's not Mokuba, sir." Plato reached over the laptop and tapped the button that activated the island's radio. It crackled slightly, not quite meant for the laptop's speakers and then a voice cut through it.

_"-hailing Duelist Kingdom. Duelist Kingdom, this is Blue-Eyes White Jet. Please respond." _

Lero blinked. That voice was not Mokuba Kaiba's - it was too young and definitely female. He glanced up at Plato, who shrugged and returned to the comm. "Blue-Eyes White Jet, you are in restricted airspace. Alter your course or we will be forced to take action."

_"'Take action?" _There a snort of disbelief from the other end. "_The island doesn't even have a pop gun on it. Just what exactly are you going to do?"_

"I have a lot of rocks and a really good throwing arm."

"_That's a sound business strategy. Throwing rocks at the person who can save your company from your Board of Directors, Bellerophon."_

That gave Lero pause. He knew that the Board had put out feelers to see who would want to buy up I2 assets, but given how momentous that idea was, they'd kept a tight lid on it. They had had to - if word got out how much struggle I2 was having, there was no way they'd get top dollar for anything. Lero himself had only found out because of his position within the company and a little digging by Plato.

_So how does she know? KaibaCorp is in no position to buy Industrial Illusions, so the Board wouldn't reach out to them sell. _He frowned at nothing, chewing on his lip. Then snapped his fingers at it struck him. _But they could buy something to sweeten the pot. If you're going to buy Duel Monsters, you want all the extras included. _ "They tried to buy off the Duel Disk patents off of KaibaCorp?"

"_Like we'd have given those up. They're our major seller. No, the Board was more 'subtle'." _One could hear the eyeroll in the pilot's voice at the Board's idea of sneakiness. _"They just wanted some old, useless technology that no one's touched in twenty years."_

"What kind of technology?"

"_That'd be telling, Bellerophon." _There a lilting tease to her tone now. _"And this is the kind of thing that's better shown."_

"I can imagine. But I like to know who I'm working with before I invite random dragon-flying strangers onto my island." Lero said. "You have a name?"

_"My name is Sumire and I work for KaibaCorp's Research and Development." _A chime flashed on the laptop, indicating it'd just received a file and then it opened it to reveal a digital version of an I.D. card.

Lero recognized it as belonging to KaibaCorp and his computer confirmed it was genuine. Moreover, he couldn't help but be impressed by the list of titles and abbreviations marked on that I.D. "Very impressive credentials, Sumire. I think the alphabet has fewer letters in it."

"_Thank you. I do like to impress. Now, about that landing zone?" _

"Give me a few minutes. I want to roll out the red carpet." Lero flipped off the comm, then turned to look at his caretaker. "Thoughts, Plato?"

"I've never heard of a 'Sumire' working for KaibaCorp, but that doesn't mean anything given how many people actually do. The fact she has the Blue-Eyes Jet means she's highly placed - they only use that for official trips meant to impress." Plato was watching out the window as the approaching jet, still only a blurry dot. "As to her intentions, she's just trying to get her foot in the door. Get our attention."

"She's got it. I didn't even think that the Board might try to nab Duel Disk technology. That's a huge incentive to anyone wanting our assets - they wouldn't have to go through KaibaCorp or split profits for the game." It was a clever strategy and Lero found himself wishing he'd thought of it. As much as I2 was struggling internally, KC's struggle was visible to all. Analysts world-wide were speculating openly that the company maybe had five years left. But KC still held the only license to produce Duel Monsters-related items.

_So by offering Duel Disks, the Board can promise that the game's new owner would be able to cut off the potential deadweight that is a dying corporation. _It was a ruthless move and one that would have left Lero's already precarious position even more so, since he still openly supported KaibaCorp and their long-standing deal with I2. Only luck had kept the Board from succeeding. _And Dad always said fools see luck as fortune. The wise see it as opportunity. _

Lero had had precious few of either as of late and now was the time to change that. He flicked the comm back on. "Alright, Sumire. You've caught my attention. There's a clearing north of the castle that's big enough to land your jet in. You can set down there."

_"That was quick. I thought I'd have to buzz the island a few times before you'd let me land." _She didn't sound as surprised as her statement might have suggested, only more pleased. _"What was the deciding factor?"_

"Well, I've got this big castle and a bunch of treasure. All I need for a good live-action D&D session is a dragon."

She laughed. _"Trust me, Bellerophon, this is going to be more of an adventure than you realize. Blue-Eyes White Jet, out." _

Lero blinked as the comm shut off, then smirked a little and cocked his head at Plato. "What do you think of that statement? Foreboding or promising?"

"Give my experience with the people who own that jet, sir," Plato was still watching the craft approach, his expression tight. "I would say they are one and the same."

TTTTTT

Whoever this Sumire was, she knew how to handle her machines. The Blue-Eyes White Jet, as Lero had heard it, was quite unwieldy due to its dragon shape and the fact it was capable of vertical-takeoff-and-landing. Something that even the best pilots struggled with due to how most planes simply weren't built to handle that kind of stress, and even a minor twitch could send the whole thing twisting off course.

But Sumire's landing was so graceful it might have been an afterthought, the giant metal dragon descending with such ease it might have been real.

The idea put a wry grin on Lero's face as he and Plato waited a respectful distance away. _Though I doubt real dragons smell of jet exhaust. _The smell was strong, pungent with heat and stale, burnt air and even as the engines slowed, he could see some of the grass shriveling into black from the exhaust. _Just how hard did she push the engines? _

As much as the Jet looked like a dragon, its pilot was even more so. Darker skinned than Lero himself, Sumire moved with an efficient, purposeful athleticism that belied the impression of idle luxury her dark suit offered as she leapt from the cockpit and opened a hatch on the jet's neck. Rounding off the impression was the hard, angular beauty of her face that gave him the notion that she didn't take guff from anyone. Even her smile was less 'disarming gesture' and more 'I'm just letting you know I have fangs.'

"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Bellerophon." Sumire said as she approached and extended her hand to him. "Thank you for receiving me on such short notice."

"We don't get many visitors out this far, especially ones from KaibaCorp." Lero shook her hand, taking note of furthered the dragon impress he had of her - her skin was tough and he could feel a few scars on her palm. _She's no stranger to hard work. Or fights. _"So you left us scrambling a bit. I apologize for the lack of reception."

"No, this is enough. What I've brought with me is best kept between as few people as possible. Particularly with your Board of Directors circling like sharks in the water." Sumire informed him, eyes shifting over to Plato as if judging his trustworthiness. But it was only for a second and her gaze switched back to Lero. "I'm sorry to be blunt, but it's imperative we get started right away."

"Anything that has my Board of Directors twisting themselves in knots to get must be." Lero concurred with a half-grin. "So please, be blunt."

The next words she spoke wiped the grin off of Lero's face because his jaw was dropping.

"My name is Sumire Kaiba. I am Seto Kaiba's daughter." She produced a sheet of paper from the case, holding it out for his inspection. "And according to this marriage contract drawn up by our fathers, that makes me your fiance, Bellerophon Pegasus."

TTTTTT

_I was once told that first chapters were first impression and should be as memorable as possible. I know Sumire certainly left one on Lero, but have I left one on you, dear reader? Let me know in a review!_

_In the meantime, Lero has to deal with this radical knew change now and asks the most important question._

_Next Chapter: We're What Now?_


	2. We're What Now

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __And we're back! Thank you for the lovely reviews and please, donate more. The fuel my creativity and motivation!_

Chapter 2: We're What Now?

"You're taking this rather well." Sumire commented over the rim of her glass. "I'd have thought there would be more shock or disbelief. Someone just showing up saying you're engaged is not an everyday thing."

"I've gotten my fair share of marriage proposals in the last few years, including one that involved trained pigeons that could fly information to 'Here Comes The Bride'. I've learned to take them in stride." Lero responded. He was far more relaxed, sprawled back against his couch with an arm over the back. "Though yours is the first to come with official paperwork."

"I was just surprised as anyone else when I found it buried in Seto's personal archives. But there it was, black and white, signed by a notary, sealed and dated thirty-one years, four months and two days ago. 'In exchange for the right to design, request and keep sole ownership of the Blue-Eyes White Dragons and support cards, the eldest child of Seto Kaiba shall be betrothed to the eldest child of Maximillion Pegasus and upon the twenty-first birthday of the younger of the pair, they shall be wed.' I turn twenty-one in two weeks."

"And I turn twenty-one in three weeks. Dad left me a notice in his will that when that happened, I could take the yacht out whenever I wanted and told me that he kept the key to his liquor cabinet under the phone on his desk. Been nice if he could have mentioned this, too."

"Given your father's reputation, Bellerophon, I think he would have found this rather hilarious. He is the man who got away with telling a bad joke to the President of the United States on live TV."

Lero couldn't help but smile at the memory of that little incident. "That's a very accurate assessment of him. What would have your father thought about this?"

"I don't have a father." Sumire's words were quick, curt and a warning. "Any man who ditches his infant child and signs away their future just for some trading cards is _not_ a father."

"… noted." Lero said, taking a moment to recover. Her words, while not aimed at him, had been harsh enough that he'd flinched from the venom lacing them. "I'm going to be blunt. Why are you wanting to pursue this marriage contract with me? When it's the result of a man you don't care for?"

"KaibaCorp is dying. If I marry you, it becomes that much easier to merge our two companies."

Lero mulled that over. She wasn't wrong, but company mergers and buyouts were no simple matter. And they became twice as complicated when the person trying to pull it off wasn't the person in charge. "Your Uncle Mokuba hasn't approached me about a merger or a buyout."

"My Uncle may be a lot sweeter than Seto ever was, but he's still got all the pride and ego. He'd feel humiliated if he had to do that. I have no such issues."

"You're very confident that getting married to a man you've never met solves this. If you've got this Duel Disk technology that could revolutionize the way we play Duel Monsters and revitalize I2, KaibaCorp is sure to follow. Why not just give me that?"

"That's not a guarantee of KaibaCorp's continued existence. Your company owns all of Duel Monsters, any resurgence in popularity will always benefit you. My company is one among many who produce holographic technology. There is always the risk of I2 changing partners."

"KaibaCorp owns the patent on the Duel Disk, so why would we?"

"If KaibaCorp goes under, that patent will be useless and someone else could claim it."

"True. So I'm guessing that this technology you want to offer is a big incentive to stick with our standing arrangement. What is it?"

"The Bleeding Edge Duel Disk system."

Lero jerked in surprise. "Not possible. No one's been able to reverse engineer those for twenty years. Seto Kaiba personally made the Duel Disks and everything else for that system. Even the software is his and all of it, he coded, protected or scrambled."

"I have. In fact, I've improved on them." Sumire held up her metal case for a moment. "I have two working models in here. And I can build or programme more."

Lero had to work to keep his jaw from dropping. The Bleeding Edge technology had done everything from scan the user's brainwaves and memory to generate physical holograms that you could stand on, touch and interact with like a real object. Even the software used for their programming alone would be enough to overhaul I2's own holographic systems for a fraction of the cost physical replacements would be. Twenty years after its invention, Seto Kaiba's last masterpiece was still leagues ahead of everything else.

It was technology worth _quadrillions, _perhaps even _quintillions. _

And knowing how high that price tag was, she would hand it over to him. Marry him, even.

"You still haven't answered my question." Lero said. "Just sharing the technology gives you a favorable position to negotiate with me. Why push the betrothal contract? Why insist I save KaibaCorp?"

Sumire shifted in her seat, a more unsure young woman than the businesswoman she'd been a few seconds ago. "About half a year ago, my Uncle Mokuba received a letter from Ironwrought Industries concerning a business deal."

"Ironwrought is a weapons manufacturing company. Is KaibaCorp that desperate to stabilize itself?" If they were, it was not good news. The company already had a sordid enough past, returning to weapons development was just asking for trouble and then Lero _would_ have to cut ties with them.

"Not even close!" Sumire shook her head. "The letter wasn't about a new business deal, it was about an older one. Back when Gozaburo was starting KaibaCorp, he worked with Ironwrought's founder. They were cousins or something. To ensure no one else took their companies away, they wrote a betrothal contract that would unite the two."

"Okay. I can buy that. But if it concerns something like that, wouldn't it have applied to _their _own children and not you?"

"They both had sons, the contract states the firstborn daughter of one company would marry the son of the other."

"So what? Given how everything has changed since they drew up it, you can say no."

"That's the issue, I can't." Sumire said with a shake of her head. "Understand, Japan has a strong history of contracts like this and the government will enforce them unless it violates the law or both parties agree to render it void. And the Ironwroughts won't. Because I'm the daughter, if I don't fulfill the contract, the Ironwroughts will have all the legal means to take KaibaCorp apart."

"Marriage contracts have a way of favoring only one party." Lero agreed. "But you're not putting yourself in a better position by trying to convince me to marry you. What if I take the Bleeding Edge technology, buy out KaibaCorp and then destroy the contract? Then you're left with nothing."

Sumire, to his surprise, smiled. "I did my homework before coming over here, Bellerophon. You are not cruel enough to do something like that. You couldn't do it even if you wanted to."

"Really? And just how do you know?"

"I know that to approve the buyout, you'd have to go to the Board. If you wanted to cancel the marriage contract, then you'd have to do the same. But your relationship with them is so bad that even revealing it to them would mean they'd enforce it. And buying out KC means it would saddle your company with our problems alongside your own. Which they'd never want."

_Well, she's not wrong. _"So why bother coming to me? Instead of going to the Board to force this all to happen? Seems like you'd get what you wanted, either way."

"Their reputation for ruthlessness is well-deserved. Your Board of Directors would go through with the deal just so they could sell off everything to fatten their pockets and dismantle both companies. But you're the legal head of I2 and a Pegasus. You can confirm the marriage without their approval because the contract is already in effect. This way, both of our companies survive, my family gets their due and I am out of a marriage I don't want."

"But that leaves me with a fiance I know nothing about, except that she likes orange soda instead of wine and has the loveliest eyes." Lero made a note that while Sumire smiled at his light compliment, it was perfunctory and didn't reach those eyes. _There's conviction there. Is it because she's willing to commit to marriage? Or because this is the only way out of her problems? _"And there lies a problem."

"What problem?"

"How can I trust you?"

Her expression twisted into a frown. "I brought documentation, the technology, you know KaibaCorp is heading into a dire situation, proof of my identity. My personal gain in this is minimal. This is about my family and the necessity of the situation."

_So I'm the thread she's hanging by. _"That's just it. You're doing this as a solution you need, not as something you want. You'll commit to this, marriage and all, and that's a huge sign of the quality of your character. Few would sign their life away like this."

She caught the caution in his tone and folded her arms. "I'm entrusting you with the rest of my life. How can you not trust me?"

"Have you ever dated before?" Lero wasn't surprised when she nodded - Sumire _was _beautiful and her straightforward attitude was appealing in its own way. _She has to have the pick of people to date. _"Have you ever done so under the public eye?"

There it was - that little hesitation that told him she hadn't and he seized on it. "I'm the son of one of the most well-known men in the world, heir to Duel Monsters. Most of the people I know are famous in their own right. And everywhere we go, the media follows us. But I have never heard of you, Sumire. The daughter of Seto Kaiba, a man who revolutionized the world."

"I dislike Seto Kaiba." She said, eyes cooling to ice again. "When people find out who I am, they only see him, not me. So I've kept a low profile so I can have my life."

"You won't anymore if I say yes to this engagement. There's no hiding - the Board will annouce it or someone will cash in on it. The hidden daughter of the Kaibas marrying the son of Pegasus - there will be headlines about that for months. Endless questions about your identity, where you were all these years, what happened to Seto, why you're marrying me. And we must have a public life together. Parties, gatherings, fundraisers, you name it. You step outside your door, cameras will track you. People who you don't even know will recognize you, take pictures, invade your personal space and more."

"So you think I'm unprepared?" There was a set to her jaw and it reminded Lero of her father and the famous indomitable will he had. "I'm not inexperienced in this, Bellerophon. I am not a fool. I can handle myself and the press."

"What about us?" Lero asked. "This may be a contract, Sumire, but it's still an engagement and then a marriage. There's no wriggle room or leeway. If we do this, we have to commit to each other. That means no bits on the side, no affairs, no saucy, refreshing retainer, nothing."

Her lips tightened in a thin smile. "I'd heard you were an honest sort, but this is something else. Most people who had this kind of deal would have thought it having their cake and eating it, too."

"I'm a pie kind of man, so no dice. You want me to take this marriage contract so bad you flew out here in person to get my signature and went around the Boards of both our companies. Then you offer me a technology that's worth more than the two of us combined. You are asking a lot from me, on good faith. But if that's what you want, then it has to work both ways. We both commit. Or neither of us do."

"If you wanted a prenup, all you have to do is ask. I'm willing to give you all the rights to the technology if I were to have an affair or-"

Lero held up a hand to stop her. "That's not what I meant, though a prenup is a good idea. What I meant was that this contract is signing our lives away to someone we've only just met. You want this and you want it bad. But that desperation means you'd be willing to do things you would not do, your judgement clouded as you angle it to get your goal."

"You yourself are desperate, are you not? This path is the only one where you get what you want. What we both want."

"But this path is shrouded in darkness and it'll either lead to success or off the edge of a cliff. I'm willing to walk it with you, Sumire, but not until we've had time to let our eyes adjust to the dark." Lero watched her expression tighten though whether it was in frustration or reluctant acceptance of his point. "So if these documents are real, if you're real, then I'll sign the paper. But before I put that pen to page, I want to get to know you. And you to know me. Even if it is just as partners."

"I wouldn't expect you to be so reckless." Sumire said, but there was a frustrated if charming little frown to her lips. "So am I too assume I'll be moving in for the foreseeable future?"

"I'd rather not do _another_ long-distance relationship. They don't end well." Lero offered with a wry look." And we'll need your help to see what we can do with the Bleeding Edge technology."

"That is acceptable." She rose and extended her hand. "I look forward to working with you."

"Same here." Lero mimicked her, shaking her hand.

There was a distinctive 'click!' of a camera shutter and both flinched, dropping each other's hand like it was on fire. Light laughter reached their ears and Lero whirled to fix a glower on his caretaker. "Plato!"

"I'm just recording the moment for posterity, young sir." Plato made no move to lower his phone as he snapped another picture. "It is a momentous occasion. A Pegasus and a Kaiba sharing a genuine moment of camaraderie and shaking hands. Just when you think you've seen it all…"

"That phone will see the upside of your nose in the next few minutes!" Lero took a threatening step towards him. But Plato just flicked his wrist, and the phone vanished up his sleeve, leaving Lero to sigh at his foiled attempt. "Fine, be that way. Please show Sumire to her room and give her anything she needs."

"Sir." Plato was all professional as he passed Lero the folder and gestured for Sumire to follow him. But there was a teasing lilt to his smirk. "I have been thinking your new fiance may need a primer on you. Something embarrassing and humanizing. Like that time you tried to turn the entire pool into Jell-O…"

Sumire laughed while Lero spluttered. "Did he really do that?"

"Oh yes. In fact, that was only the latest attempt in a series. Lero had finally figured out he was rich and was trying to spend his money. The week before, he tried to bribe the R&D department to make him a flying carpet with a half-ton of chocolate-"

TTTTTTT

It was ten minutes and two more stories before Plato led Sumire into the room that was to be hers. And another five before he convinced her that, yes, this was the right room. Unlike the middling, rustic stone interior of the castle hall with their false torches and paintings, Sumire found the most apt word to describe it was plush. A carpet her feet sank into, pale blue walls offset by comfy greens and browns and a bed that was doing its level best to swallow her like some kind of silk-covered amoeba.

She was used to luxury, but in the form of expensive and flamboyant decorations and excesses. Wealth used to declare competent taste and quiet power - 'See how my money lets me have these expensive, high-quality things from around the world just because I want them'. And with the Pegasus family and their reputation of high-class eccentricity, she'd have thought they would have embodied the ideal.

But, perhaps because of that same eccentricity, they'd gone down a decorative route that left the room feeling rather homey and comforting. Bookshelves, a fireplace, the balcony sheltered by a towering view of trees - everything about this room felt like someone had designed it so a person did not _stay_ there, but they could _live _there.

_Or maybe all the stress of the reckless, insane plan I'm trying to pull off has gotten __to me __and I'm reading too much into everything. _Sumire pushed the thought from her mind with a hard shake of her head. _Stop it. You've committed to this and so far, so good. __There isn't any time or room for doubts now. _

At least the first part, getting onto the island and convincing Bellerophon to follow-through on the marriage contract, had played out more or less how had she expected. The profile she'd put together on the Pegasus heir had told her he was smart and moral. That last trait was a rarity among their shared social circle - even as low-key as she kept her profile, Sumire had dated enough of her peerage to know many of them always had an ulterior motive related to garnering more wealth, protecting the source of that wealth or indulging the entitlement that the wealth gave them.

Not Bellerophon Pegasus. A Cairo street rat before having been taken in by the Luncinda Medical Orphanage and then having the luck to be adopted by Maximillion. He knew what it was like to have nothing and didn't taken his wealth for granted. He had no false impressions about who he was or desire to puff up his ego.

She liked that about him. Even if it was frustrating that he didn't just give into his desperation and jump on the marriage contract. His line-in-the-sand decree that they both commit a hundred percent to this marriage was something she hadn't truly expected him to do, given the stakes. _But I suppose that just speaks well of his and his father's character. Or maybe he wants to mend the rift that his father and Seto Kaiba had._

Thoughts of Seto Kaiba soured her stress ball to the point it was knotting itself in her gut, then Sumire took a deep breath and exhaled the stress out. Focusing on how Seto Kaiba had ruined her life without even trying was not an asset right now. What she had to do was spend the next week getting Bellerophon to agree to the contract. _My family's future depends on it, my mother's future depends on it. I won't let Seto or Gozaburo's egos take our life from us!_

As if reading her thoughts, her phone vibrated. The screen flashed an image of a dark-haired Egyptian woman with piercing blue-eyes while red letters spelled out 'Mother' in warning underneath. Sumire stared at it the phone with dread reserved for a bomb, then reached out and declined the call. _Sorry, Mother. I have to do this. _

TTTTTTT

"Gee, thanks, dad! Most people get their kids a drink for their twenty-first birthday! Or a car!" Lero was stalking in front of his father's desk, a measured, hard pace that was threatening to wear a hole in the ornate rug. "But no, you had to one-up everyone's expectations and get me a fiance!"

"Well, your father is a creative fellow. Remember your tenth birthday and you wanted a trampoline? And he took you to that 'human fly' park for a day?" Plato was seated at the desk, paper spread out before him.

"There's a 'surprise, you got something better than what you were expecting!' and 'surprise, your life just jumped off the rails!'" Lero said with a pointed huff. "I cannot believe Dad didn't tell me!"

"I don't think he remembered this, sir." Plato looked up from the papers. "This is dated for thirty-one years ago and back then, your father was busy off in the English Channel. Given at the time he did not have children nor did it seem likely Seto Kaiba would, he created this contract as a joke just to see Kaiba's face and watch him grit his teeth so hard he chipped a tooth putting pen to paper here."

"Well, I hope dad found that laugh worth it." Lero grunted. _You'd think having a dad who was known to be the most eccentric man around would have me used to this stuff by now. _"What about Sumire Kaiba? What do we know about her?"

"I've confirmed her identity."

"KaibaCorp got back to us that fast?" Lero couldn't hide his surprise. "I thought Mokuba was off in Europe working with SchroederCorp?"

"He is and they haven't responded to my inquiries yet," Plato said. "But we have a good information network and I could find things like school records, travel documents and few news articles. It turns out that Sumire Kaiba is living with her mother's name - Sumire Ishtar."

Lero felt his jaw drop. "Her mother is Ishizu Ishtar."

"Yes, sir." Plato turned the computer monitor towards him, revealing an article discussing archaeological work in South America. And seated front and center, dressed in matching pith helmets and hiking gear, was a smiling Ishizu Ishtar and an almost-identical looking little girl in her lap. "Her existence hasn't escaped notice of the world, just who her father is."

Lero studied the picture. "How did you make the connection between them?"

Plato gave his ward a flat look. "Do you know any other Egyptian women who Seto Kaiba would ever spend time with?"

"Good point." Lero folded his arms, chewing his lower lip in thought. "Well, her story is more believable now. What about this contract and its terms?"

"As real as real can be, young master." Plato tapped the sheets with a forefinger. "You and Miss Kaiba are betrothed and have been since you were five, you just didn't know about it."

"Goody-goody-gumdrops," Lero sighed before gesturing to Plato. "All right, advisor. Advise me."

"Sir, this arranged marriage is a godsend. You not only can ensure you maintain control of Industrial Illusions, but fold KaibaCorp into it. You can capitalize on the Bleeding Edge technology - that alone is priceless. Add in the fact you would be having a wedding to the daughter of Seto Kaiba, you would not only revitalize Duel Monsters for its fiftieth anniversary, but ensure its existence until your great-grandkids time. Practically, there is no reason not to sign the contract and exploit the hell out of this."

"Gee, that's easy for you to say. It's not _your _marriage contract." Lero muttered under his breath.

"No, but I have been married before. And contract or no, it is a big commitment that never ends. Yours just comes with a few more strings to get tangled in."

"You've been married?" Lero lifted an eyebrow. "But you've been with me since I was little. And worked for Dad even longer. When did you have time to get married? To whom - no wait. Not sure I want to know." He held up a hand as Plato chuckled. "Just tell me the 'but' I'm hearing in your explanation."

"But, all of that exists only on paper. In reality, Sumire is desperate to save KaibaCorp and gambling a lot. If you just sign this contract for the immediate paper benefits, you both may have a very painful adult life behind closed doors. And if that were to carry on into decades, that infighting could destroy the companies you both want to save. Particularly if either of you attempt to get a divorce."

"So there's a clause in there that if we divorce, our assets gets split down the middle or something?" Lero lifted an eyebrow as Plato shook his head. "Well, what is it?"

"The contract states that if you two divorce, you're both legally stripped of your family names and heirship status."

Lero stared, then gave off a bitter snort of amusement as he sat down. "That sounds like something Kaiba would put in there. If his kid couldn't pull off a marriage to the kid of his worst enemy, what good what they be? And he'd screw over Pegasus just so Dad couldn't laugh about it later."

"Yes, that sounds like his mindset." Plato agreed as he shuffled through the contract's paperwork again.

Lero watched him, his thoughts churning just as much as those papers as his caretaker shuffled them like a stack of cards. Marriage had been something he and his father had spoken about before on occasion and that had often been regarding 'business marriage'. Even in the modern world, the CEOs, millionaires, billionaires and self-styled nobility were always playing power games whose moves often included marrying into each other's families. He'd seen them almost always fail in either one way or another - the partners were incompatible on interpersonal levels, resulting in affairs and fights that the media could catch wind of with the resulting public attention destroying lives and reputations. Or hidden fights, abuses and bullying went on behind closed doors until they self-destructed to the same result.

Lero had sworn never to take his dating life with that much seriousness. Sure, there had been plenty of broken hearts a few good crying sessions had fixed that and some salted caramel ice cream, but even his most involved partners had never crossed his mind as potential wives. His father, perhaps recalling his own young marriage to his wife Cecilia and its tragic end, had supported his son's decision to not marry young and to age and mature until Lero was well and truly capable to understanding real love and marrying for it.

_There's an irony here that I would sign this marriage contract for true love. But it wouldn't be true love for Sumire - I love my father's company, my father's game, my inheritance. _And from the sounds of it, it was the same of Sumire - her loves were her company and her family, not Lero. _We're treating the entirety of our futures like some sort of bargaining chip. We sacrifice of ourselves for loved ones. To complete strangers, no less. _

That kind of thinking didn't sit well with him - Lero could already feel the knot of frustration mounting in his stomach. But the positives of that contract easily outweighed the negatives. _Taking the moral high road and refusing to sign it will result in the loss of everything my father and I love and Sumire will be forced into a different marriage contract. Taking it means I have the tools necessary to save it all._

It was all overwhelming - the enormity of the Bleeding Edge technology, Sumire's existence, the contract. All of it appearing right when he needed it most. He was even more glad now than when he'd suggested they take a week to get to know each other - it'd take at least that long to process this. _But is a week enough time to know another person? Especially someone who wants things from me, wearing a mask of desperation to hide their real face?_

It would have to be, he knew. The Board's promise of a new Duelist Kingdom in three months loomed over his neck like a guillotine. And the moment they even got a whiff about the contract and the working Bleeding Edge technology, they'd take it from him and Sumire and do god-knew-what with it. _Whatever it would be, it'd be not good for me. _

He'd have to play his cards right. And to do that, he'd have to know what they were. "Plato, could you go get Sumire and have her meet me at the work elevator?"

"Sir?" Plato gave him a confused look. "She has only just arrived."

"I know, but her whole selling point is the Bleeding Edge Duel Disk system. And she says she has working models. Time for her to prove it."

TTTTTTT

"Your father hid the door to the elevator behind a false bookcase." Sumire was giving him an amused smile.

"Hey, when you work here every day, you want it to feel like an adventure. Like Batman and the Batcave." Lero responded with his own smile. "Dad wants his employees to have fun. And no one has complained yet."

"I am more impressed that you have a fully functional holographic research office here. I thought we would have to go off-island to work on the Bleeding Edge Duel Disks."

"If only we could. I'd love for a chance to take that Blue-Eyes jet for a spin. Just crank the afterburners open and see how fast we can get. Scare some passenger jets." Lero was grinning at the mere thought and he turned to Sumire with an excited edge to his words. "Hey, are the rumors true and that thing can go faster than the speed of sound? Do you think I could-"

He broke off as he noticed the look she was giving him, complete with a raised eyebrow. "Ahh...right. I don't get to fly the dragon."

"No, you do not. Only members of the Kaiba family may do that." Sumire cut him off as Lero opened his mouth again with a hopeful expression. "And just because we are engaged does not make you a Kaiba yet."

Lero's face fell. "That's not fair."

"Well, perhaps if you signed the marriage contract, I would be more permissible to the idea."

"And that's blackmail!"

"I prefer 'persuasion'." Sumire smiled as he huffed at her and patted his arm in sympathy. "Bellerophon, you know how business works. And I will not let just anyone fly the jet I built myself."

The doors dinged open, and she led the way into a sleek and clean lab with a surprised Lero trailing after her. "You built that jet by yourself?"

"Yes. I needed a long-term hobby and I like working with my hands." Sumire said over her shoulder and then turned to face front and take in the lab. It was modern, with computer banks, several tubes that she recognized were holographic test chambers, and more. "Oh, yes. This will do very nicely for my work."

"Is that it? Are those it? Oh, let me get my hands on them!"

The Egyptian woman blinked in surprise as the voice heralded a whirlwind of intensely blue hair and a lab coat. Green eyes were sharp behind the new woman's glasses, Sumire resisted the urge to grab something lest this new energy blow her away. "Er...pardon?"

"The Bleeding Edge Disks! The ones made by the greatest scientific mind in the last century!" The woman caught sight of the case in Sumire's hand, almost wringing her hands in happiness and blinding with her smile. "I can't wait to see them in action! They make the current generation of Duel Disks look like cheap plastic knockoffs!"

"Easy, Tesla, easy." Lero slid around Sumire to catch the new woman by the arm and pulled her a few steps back. "Remember our last monthly meeting? The one about your eagerness to exemplary work and how it causes you to get into people's personal space?"

"I know that, sir." The woman shrugged him off, but composed herself with a clear effort and smoothed out her lab coat before extending her hand. "I'm Verona Tesla, Assistant Director of Industrial Illusions Research and Developments. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kaiba."

"Likewise." Sumire shook her hand. "Thank you for allowing me to use your workspace."

"Are you kidding? This is a dream come true! It's like being asked by Tony Stark to work on the Iron Man armor!" Tesla grinned and rocked on her heels again. "Or Bruce Wayne and the Batmobile!"

"Tesla, why don't you go and set up a workstation account for Sumire?" Lero put in before his AD could get another head of steam going. He swept out his hand to indicate the workbenches littered in dissected Duel Disks and other devices. Wires poked out like weeds out of the bed of circuit boards and shiny pieces of metal. "And tidy up a bit?"

"Oh, of course!" Sheepish, Tesla nodded as she went a bit pink and then darted off to the nearest work station. With remarkable speed, she began to sort through everything and put it away in the bench drawers, or assemble whatever had been taken apart. "I'll have it done in a jiffy, sir!"

"...do all of your employees make comic book references?" Sumire asked as they watched her work. "And are so...energetic?"

"Dad has a type he likes to hire. Says the high energy and nerdiness promotes a casual and positive work environment. At least until a Marvel vs DC argument breaks out." Lero said with a smile and a shrug. "Why? Is that not what it's like at a KaibaCorp?"

"No. Everything is very professional and crisp. Even the researchers wear ties and the like under their lab coats." Sumire shook her head. "But do not worry, this isn't some kind of deal breaker. It's just a sharp change to get used to."

"I thought you said compared to finding out we were engaged for almost twenty-one years, nothing else really mattered?" Lero said with a sly look that gained a smirk when she gave him a good-natured huff.

Tesla scuttled by, somehow balancing several boxes packed with heaven-knew-what in her arms like they were nothing. "All cleared up, sir! We can get started now! Which should have been ten minutes ago!"

"Tesla, if you can break the laws of time and space to make that happen, I'll give you a raise." Lero promised and gestured to the now clear work table. "Now then, after you."

"Thank you." Sumire set the case on the table and popped two catches after letting them identify her thumbprints. Tesla bounced on her heels, kept only from shoving the other woman away by Lero's gentle hand on her arm.

"I'm the R&D Director, Tesla." He reminded her. "So I get first dibs."

"That's abuse of authority!"

"What? No, of course not." Lero looked away airily. "I would never stoop so low as to be petty and deny you this first glimpse because you accidentally wiped my work hard drive and lost three days of storyboarding when you crashed the mainframe again."

Tesla sulked and stuck her tongue out at him, but Lero ignored her and lifted one of the Duel Disks out of the case, testing its heft and eyeing up the angles on it. "This already feels so much lighter than the current models. And they look more appealing, too." He nodded at the black/blue arm-covering one in the case. "That was Seto Kaiba's personal version, wasn't it?"

"Yes. This version synchs with the user's brainwaves and accesses their cerebral nerves to generate their deck and everything based on their memories and thoughts." Sumire gave it an annoyed look. "It is also the model that I haven't been able to get to function. I am starting to believe it was locked to his fingerprints or some other unique trait."

"Leave it to Kaiba to keep the best things for himself," Tesla sulked under her breath as she gave the device a longing look. "Imagine just being able to create stairs or a table or even a Duel Monster whatever you wanted just by thinking."

"Or an assault rifle...or a tank… or an ICBM." Sumire's mutter was barely there, but Lero caught it and wondered if she was thinking of the other marriage contract haunting her dreams. None of those were possible, even with this level of technology. Bullets and other ammunition wouldn't travel outside the gun you created, a missile was too complex and the explosive portion would have to be built the old-fashioned way. But things like walls? Those were doable - caging a person just by thinking about it. Or suffocating them with a well-imagined globe around their heads. If the holograms could support physical weight, then they had to be solid and therefore air-proof.

He felt something crawl down his spine that was unpleasant and dark. "Tell you what, when we create production models, we quadruple down on safety interlocks, safeguards and limit these things to only ever playing Duel Monsters."

"Agreed." Sumire nodded, her tone showing she was thinking along the same lines he was. And Tesla was frowning at the device now, too, so he knew his AD's eagerness had stalled out for the moment. Or she was unhappy she couldn't experiment with any of those weaponized applications and nuke every McDonalds in a hundred-mile radius because they wouldn't keep giving her the McRib. He was never quite sure with her.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Sumire handed him one of the Duel Disks. "Mmm?"

"I am not going to sell you something you haven't seen work, Bellerophon." She pointed out with a look. "Please test the merchandise."

"Good point." Lero slid the device onto his arm, already pleased to notice that he'd been right with how lightweight it felt. Detaching the headset from the back end of it, he unfolded it and slid it into place. The eyepiece, despite its off-blue coloring, didn't tint his vision and once he tapped the activation button, a simple short display activated that told him the Duel Disk was now active and functioning at one hundred percent. "Heh, the check engine light works."

When Sumire gave him a confused eyebrow lifted, he explained as he fished around his person. "When I decided I wanted to learn how to drive, Plato took me out used-car shopping. Didn't want me wrecking something brand-new. I got a crash course on tips for buying used vehicles. Like if they park the car over a puddle, they don't want you look underneath it. And if a car's check engine light doesn't come on when you start it, then it's been tampered with so that you don't think to check the engine."

"I see." Sumire nodded, giving his fiance a curious look. "So what happened to that car?"

Lero chuckled a bit nervously and produced a stack of Duel Monsters cards. "Let's not talk about that." Fanning them out, he grabbed one and placed it on the tray. Through his eyepiece, he saw cube-like bits of data spawn out of the air in front of him before coalescing into a roaring, metallic limbless dragon that dwarfed them all. To his surprise, though, he saw the hologram actually knock a desk chair aside with its bulk and heard its metal body slide over the workroom's floor. "Whoa…"

"This is amazing!" Tesla was already approaching the monster, studying it this way and that before reaching out and touch it. "The metal looks so real...it feels too smooth and flat, but that's just because holograms are solid due to being compressed light with this system…" She reached under it and hefted the entire beast above her head with both hands. "And it weighs less than nothing. Pity…"

"What is it?" Sumire asked, watching as Tesla put the metal dragon down and began examining it from other angles.

"It's a Cyber Dragon. My deck is built around them." Lero said, studying the hologram with interest. "Watching it, I feel like I've suddenly put on a pair of glasses and only just now realized I actually needed them."

"It is a miracle of technology," Sumire agreed. "Perhaps the only thing Seto Kaiba was good for."

"That's not the only point in his 'win' column," Lero smiled when she gave him an arch look. "You wouldn't exist without him. And by giving me this, I will be forever grateful."

Sumire looked flustered and went back to picking at the remaining Duel Disk in the case. "It is only a Duel Disk. And it is just a first step. I can get it to work, but how it works is no mean feat."

"But this is a brilliant first step, and it's given me a reason to put some more faith in this whole contract business." Lero paused as his watch flashed, the message of 'Dinner in ten minutes!' appearing in front of him. "Well, what better way to celebrate our success than good food?"

"Yes, that sounds good." Sumire said, watching as Lero took off his card and the dragon vanished.

"I've got cup ramen, I'm good. I'mma stay here and work on the Duel...Disk…" Tesla trailed off as she saw Lero not making any effort to take it off. "Uh, sir, I'm fine with working with it on your arm, but taking that off you is a lot harder…"

"I want to keep a hold of it for a moment. One, because I want to see how it holds up to being worn like a current model. And two, the last time you played with something like this, you took it apart and couldn't figure out how to put it back together." Lero said with some stern patience as Tesla scowled. "We only have the one working model at the moment."

"But sir…!"

"Tesla." Sumire held up a flash drive. "This contains the software and some coding for the Bleeding Edge. While we eat, could you start running some tests and see how compatible it is with the current generation?"

"But…" Lero pointed out in slow confusion. "Bleeding Edge is superior already."

"We need to know by how much. Seto Kaiba built this twenty years ago, and that gap has to have shrunk. If it has, we may need to work on making it even better unless our competitors-" Sumire blinked her suddenly empty hand. "How-"

"Thank you! I'll get started! Show you my results later! Please don't bother me, I'll bother you!" Tesla was already buried in her workstation, waving idly over her computer screen.

"You'll get used to her, don't worry. And she's crazy-smart, even if she leans towards the 'crazy' part more often than I'd like." Lero assured Sumire as they headed to the elevator. "Now it is time for me to play the good host and try to impress my fiance."

"I'm sure it is a task you will succeed admirably at," Sumire said graciously. "Your father is well-known for his good manners and hosting skills. I know some of them will have stuck with you."

"Oh, yes. No more clown noses and balloon animals before the entrée."

TTTTTTT

"You didn't talk much during dinner, Bellerophon. Why is that?"

"I confess, I was too awestruck by your beauty to think of a single thing that might have contributed to the conversation."

"That's a nice answer, but only just." Sumire smirked as she took a drink. "Why do I get the feeling that you just weren't invested in the conversation Plato and I were having?"

"I'm willing to admit that the finer points of Robot Wars eludes me." Lero acknowledged as he poured himself some wine. "But I was definitely invested in the conversation. I've known Plato all of my life and that is the first time I have ever heard him coming this close to squeeing with joy."

"If it wouldn't have been him, I would have done it first. Been years since I met another fan as enthusiastic as I am. Most of my family can take or leave robots running around trying to smash each other."

"I have the opposite problem - Plato and my dad both love that show. They'd even take time off of work or arrange Duel Monsters tournaments so they wouldn't miss an episode. Heck, I think Starbright Academy offers Science-Engineering courses just so Dad can 'sponsor' a robot to enter the contest with."

"That goes with everything I've heard about your father." Sumire said with a smile. "He seems like a very nice man."

"He is. Just watch out when he's mad. He's not the kind of mad who gets angry, he's the kind of mad that makes him go out of his way to show disappointed he is in whatever that got him angry in the first place." Lero shivered a bit at some of those memories and took a bracing drink of wine.

"I've heard he's a very analytical man, too." Sumire's smile turned knowing. "A trait he's instilled in his son, if dinner was any indication."

Lero lifted an eyebrow in mute question, but she just smiled bigger. "You weren't quiet during dinner because you were interested in Robot Wars, you were observing me and my reactions. That's why Plato did all of the talking. If I had been talking to you, I'd have had my guard up."

Lero stared at her, then laughed before propping his chin up in his palm. "That's quite the blunt observation there, Sumire. And it's a bit rude. What makes you think I wasn't being honest with my boredom?"

"Because I built a profile on you before I came here. I did research on every bit of your life I could find. And despite being adopted, you are your father's son. You love the comical, the amusing, the silly and creative things of the world." Sumire lifted a finger to point straight at him. "And you participated in four Robot Wars qualification tournaments up until your father's accident under the name 'Perseus'."

Lero schooled his expression into neutrality - it wasn't much of a shock that she'd figured that out. After all, Plato had only spent a few hours digging into Sumire's backstory and found her interest in Robot Wars in short order. "So if you figured all of that out, why go with it over dinner?"

"I'm not playing games, Bellerophon. I need you to sign that contract and marry me. Pussyfooting around everything is stupid - we're short on time and I can't get you to trust me if I'm trying to play things up so I come off as sublime and clever." She shrugged before drinking some more wine. "And I know you knew I'd see through that little gambit, so I am curious to see if you thought observing me like that got any results."

"It did."

Sumire gave him that cute, angry frown she had displayed earlier. "Care to share what you learned?"

"No." Lero smiled as she lifted an eyebrow. "That defeats the point. You dug through everything about me and created a profile. Not that hard to do, since I'm a public figure, but I get the feeling you're the kind of woman who leaves no stone unturned when it comes to research. So you probably know a bit more about me than I'm comfortable with."

He gestured at her. "Whereas you are a next-to-total unknown. Even my best research probably won't uncover anything that public records don't have - your Uncle Mokuba is very persistent in keeping his family secrets secret. So leveling the playing field a bit, I'm keeping my opinions about you to myself for the time being."

"So we're back to square one." Sumire said. "Two fiancees who know everything about each other, but don't know each other at all."

"Too true. So we should break the ice." Lero grinned, rubbing his hands together briskly. "Would you like to play a game?"

Sumire stared, then shook her head in bemusement. "I should have expected that from a Pegasus. Alright then, I'll play a game."

"Good." Lero rose up and slid a wall panel away, revealing a plethora of vibrantly colored games crammed into a hidden bookshelf. His finger skipped over titles as he murmured to himself. "No, that takes more than two players...the rules for that one take too long to explain...definitely not Mouse Trap, we could never get the cage to work… Sumire, how does a game of chess sound?"

"I do not play chess."

There was something hard in her tone that caused him to glance over his shoulder to find her fixing him with a rather tight smile. "But why not? Your father and your uncle both have Grandmaster status and -"

"That is why I do not play. It is too closely associated with Seto Kaiba."

"Ah." Lero tried not to wince. "What about Duel Monsters then? All of your family plays that on some level."

"I do not know how to play. And I do not care to learn."

"But it's the world's pastime. And you're going to be working on Duel Disks, which need Duel Monsters to-" Lero did wince this time as her smiled tightened even further. "Right. Too close to your fa - I mean, Seto."

"Yes. And understanding how the Duel Disks work doesn't require me to know how to play the game. They are two separate things."

"Right." Now properly embarrassed that he'd known her less than a day and he was already sticking his foot into his mouth, Lero turned his attention back to the game shelves as his eyes darted this way and that in hopes of finding a game that would balance things. A squat pink box flashed out the corner of his vision and he grabbed it, smiling as he saw what it was. "Here we go."

Returning to his seat, he placed the box in between them on the coffee table. He could practically feel Sumire's eyes going quizzical as he set the lid aside and she read the title. "Newlyweds Nuances?"

"It's a question-based came. We each get questions to ask each other-" He placed the appropriate stacks in front of them, then set a pen and pad next to him. "And we take turns. If you refuse to answer the question or give an answer I think is not truthful, I get a point. If you answer the question or I refuse to ask it, you get a point. First one to ten points wins."

"Seems simple enough, if a bit lopsided. If we both take turns answering the questions, then whoever has to answer first will always be a point ahead."

Lero held up a finger with a smile. "That's where the twist comes in. Some of the questions have point multipliers, so answering them can give more than one point. You can also spend a point to 'buy' a question instead of asking it - you place it face-down and then can use in place of another question down the road. You can spend points to force me to ask a question. And some questions have negative effects if you don't answer them."

"I see. So it's a game based on how well you know the other player - what can you trip them up with, what to avoid when asking them, reading their body language to buy a question of them if you know you have an answer that'll get points." Sumire nodded, smiling with sudden interest. "This sounds interesting. So we'll see what is more useful - my profile of you or your body language read of me."

"Nothing so dramatic - it's just an ice breaker game." Lero chuckled, settling himself forwards with elbows on his knees and hands clasped loosely.

"Really?" Sumire fished a card out of the box, holding it up. "So this list of alternative bets to points including types of kisses, sexual positions and handcuffs and sex toys is all ages fun for family and friends?"

"That's for more expert players." Lero said sheepishly as he yanked out of her hand to drop it back into the box.

"Aren't you supposed to be the game expert in the room?" Sumire smiled again as he huffed and turned his head. "Very well, because of my teasing, you may ask the first question."

"Alright." Shuffling his deck of cards, Lero set it back down and picked up the top card. "For one point, the question is: If you bought a boat, what would you name it?"

"That is easy. I would name it the _Conan_."

Lero blinked. "As in the barbarian?"

"Yes, but don't ask why." She held up a finger. "Rules say we stick the questions only on the cards."

"Fine, I'll get the answer for that one soon. It has me curious." Lero marked down her point and then nodded at her.

Sumire: 1  
Lero: 0

She picked up her top card. "For one point, the question is: If you had to change your first name, what would you change it to?"

Lero folded his arms across chest, eyes, half-lidded as he thought, then snapped his fingers. "Megatron."

Sumire's eyebrows jumped for her hairline. "The Transformer?"

"Mm-hmm, but like you said stick to the game questions."

Sumire: 1  
Lero: 1

He picked up the next card. "For two points, finish this sentence. Your mother would freak if she knew -blank-."

"Also easy. My mother would freak if she knew I took my birthday money for my fifteenth birthday, went out and got a tattoo of butterfly wings on the small of my back." Sumire shook her head at Lero's questioning look, already reaching for the top card of her deck. "I'm not going to show it to you, Bellerophon."

Studying the card, she grinned. "For two points, what is the dumbest thing you have ever done? And for an additional point, why did you do it?"

Lero sighed in embarrassment. "When I was eight, I climbed atop one of the tower roofs without telling anyone."

"That seems reckless, but not dumb."

"Did I mention the bedsheet parachute?"

"Oh." Sumire's grin widened as Lero's sheepish look. "Why did you do it?"

"Dad said I couldn't fly. I wanted to prove him wrong. Thankfully, I chickened out once I realized how high I was and just curled up against one of the battlements a nervous wreck. Dad didn't find me until nearly sundown." He reached back and tapped between his shoulder blades. "He grounded me for three months _and _had me chipped."

"I can see why. Heir to his wealth, his game and from the stories I've heard thus far, driven to test the limits of his craziness." Sumire chuckled at Lero's embarrassed noise and gestured. "It is your turn."

Sumire: 3  
Lero: 5

Lero picked up his next card. "For one point, do you prefer sunsets or sunrises?"

"Sunrises. I like waking up before them and getting a start on my day."

"I'd say you're a weirdo for doing that, but Dad's also a morning person and he drilled the habit into me." Lero cocked his head as she picked up her next card with a sharp look. "Bad question?"

"No. Just one that will put your observational skills to the test. For one point, am I left-handed or right-handed?"

_That's probably a 'gimmie' question, but for two people who have just met..._Lero let his eyes go half-lidded again he thought back to dinner. _She had her fork in her left hand, but that's the common table settings. And she's been picking up cards with her right hand, but that's not a clear indicator, either. _

Failing to answer the question would still leave him ahead in points, but pride said he shouldn't get it wrong. He'd been watching her carefully since she arrived. _Wait - when she landed and came up to shake my head, she passed the case over to the other hand to free up her- _"You're left-handed, Sumire."

He was rewarded with a light smile. "Very good."

Sumire: 4  
Lero: 6

Lero drew his next card and his skin darkened a bit. "Ah, I'll give you this point. I'd rather not ask this question."

"I would rather you did. I will spend a point to force you ask it of me." Sumire grinned like a shark as Lero made an embarrassed noise. "Speak it, Bellerophon. It cannot make me more embarrassed than you are."

"A-alright." Lero raked a hand through his hair and kept his gaze focused on the card. "For three points, what is your favorite sex position and why?"

She stared, then laughed for a moment. "Really? That's what is embarrassing you?"

"It's impolite to ask a lady you just met a question like that!" Lero insisted, waving the card in front of him like a shield. "That's just a step below asking you to sleep with me flat out!"

"Well, you are my fiance, so I would not be totally averse to that…" Sumire leaned back as he gave another huff of embarrassment. "My favorite position is the Jack and the Rose."

"I'm sorry, you like to have sex in a wine bottle?"

The laugh that escaped her was the best kind - the unexpected one that reached her eyes. "No, it is named after the main characters in the film _Titanic. _The woman is on her front and her partner takes her from behind. Then she wraps her legs around them and they pick her up by her hips and she links her arms back through theirs. Sex ensues."

"That is not a position!" Lero shook his head. "You'd wind up breaking something - a person is heavy!"

"It is a position that can be done by having the woman brace themselves on something like a counter instead, but it's doable if you and your partner are physically fit. Which is why I like it." She held up an arm, flexing it in a classic pose and her suit sleeve bunched noticeably. "I am quite fit and I enjoy embracing it."

"Really now?" Lero considered that - he had not noticed that trait during dinner, but it wasn't something someone just brought up on a whim, either. "Why is that?"

"Proof of dedication towards a long-term goal with no end - fitness is never achieved, just maintained." Sumire said with a hint of pride. "And something that you cannot fake or find shortcuts for."

_So a variation of the legendary Kaiba pride there. _Lero admired it, all the same. She was right, after all. "Do you do any martial arts?"

"That's not a game question, but I will answer. I am learning several other styles, but the one I have mastered is the style of combat used by Tomb Keepers." Sumire said. "It focuses on endurance, stamina and patience, being able to keep going for round after round and never giving up until you cross the goal line." Her eyes became half-lidded. "With an extra focus on grappling in tight spaces, of course."

_Another brazen flirt. _Lero felt flattered, but only in a distant fashion. _Is she doing so because of genuine interest? Is she doing it out of that Kaiba pride to have achieved a goal, no matter how impossible? Is this her natural personality without any guard up? Is she being deliberate in trying to subvert my observations of her? I don't think she could do anything else to surprise me at this point-_

"I could teach you." Sumire offered, smiling again as Lero made a startled noise in his throat. "With martial arts, Bellerophon, not sex."

"Oh, right, right." He nodded in hasty agreement. "But we're getting sidetracked. You can have a point for telling me why you like that position, but I don't believe it's an actual position."

Her eyes narrowed and she let out a huff as she tore her next card from the deck. Glancing at it, her frown deepened into a scowl. "For one point, do you sing in the shower?"

"Nope!" Lero smiled. "I'm tone deaf as a cat in a rocking chair factory!"

Sumire glowered at the card as she slapped it into her discard pile. "Broken even on that round…"

Sumire: 4  
Lero: 7

"Let's see, let's see…" Lero held up his next card. "For one point, what's better: hugs or kisses?"

"Kisses." Sumire watched in amusement as Lero shifted awkwardly again. "What a shy man you are."

"You're the one admitting things about her sex life and preferences freely here."

"I thought that was the point of this time, to get to know each other?" Sumire said with false innocence as she started her turn. "For one point, if you could be insanely talented at any one thing, what would it be?"

He cocked his head and then held up his hands in a defeated gesture. "I don't have an answer to that one. I have too many things that I like."

Sumire: 5  
Lero: 6

"Okay, Sumire, for one point, what is one strange habit you have?"

Now it was her turn to shift in an uncomfortable fashion. "Whenever I receive a dollar coin or similar, I always flip it to shake the bad luck off of it."

"Aww, that's not too weird! I find it kind of neat. If you want weird, my dad has to wear a certain string tie for everyday of the week or he is totally off his game the entire time." Lero said as he marked down her point as she picked up her next card.

"For one point, what would you do with you life if you didn't have to work?"

Lero groaned and shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, no answer to that one, either. Crazy as it sounds, I happen to _like_ having a job and going to work and doing things."

"That's not a bad thing - nice to have a potential husband as motivated as I am."

"You're motivated, you like to get up early - are you one of those strange people who can function in the morning _without_ three cups of coffee?" Lero asked in bewilderment.

"Yes. And you're strange if you drink that stuff - coffee tastes terrible!"

"Hey, it keeps me from murdering people."

Sumire: 6  
Lero: 6

"For two points, Sumire, when did you last cry in front of another person? And when did you last cry by yourself?"

She frowned at him and looked away. "...I was working with a coworker on the Bleeding Edge Disks and we could not get through Seto Kaiba's encryption despite spending all day on it. I worked through the night and when they came back the next morning and asked if we'd made progress, all I could do was snap 'No' and then cried tears of rage."

Lero watched her. There was no indication that she was lying, but her story felt a little too convenient and easy. _Maybe it's a stretched truth. _"I'll give you that one. What about yourself?"

"I…" This time, her hand clutched tight at the armrest of the chair as her eyes went somewhere else. Then she shook her head and breathed out, relaxing. "I will not answer that one and take the point loss."

"Broke even, then." Lero put the card aside and nodded at her. "Ask away."

Sumire flipped the card over. "For a single point, what do you value most in a friendship?"

"That's…" Lero pursed his lips. "Can't say I have a lot of actual friends. But in the ones I have, I'd have to say I value patience the most. Friendship isn't easy, especially as an adult. But patience in making time with and for each other is a big help."

"I see. How very practical of you." Sumire nodded as Lero adjusted the points.

Sumire: 6  
Lero: 7

Lero picked up his next card and his eyes widened just a slight amount. "Oh."

"Oh?" Sumire's lips quirked. "Is it another sex question?"

"Yes. And no." Lero's eyes flicked to her, then back at the card. "If you could sleep with anyone in the world, consequence free, who would you choose?"

Sumire's eyes widened for a moment, then her expression fell into neutrality and she shook her head. "I will not answer that one."

_Well, I take back what I what I said about not being surprised. _But it did confirm something for him - the flirting, the teasing, the openness were another layer to her. There may have been genuine intent behind it, but that intent was manufactured. She was playing into the expectations he hadn't been aware he was falling into - that of a man with a beautiful fiance who making herself accessible.

He could use a point of his own to make her answer the question, of course, but there was something in her eyes that told him doing that was the bad option here. _It is just a game, after all...and just because a piece of paper says we're engaged doesn't mean we actually have any right to go and pry into each other like that. Her life is her life. And she gets to choose which parts she shares with me._

"You are not going to force me to answer." Sumire's question was anything but.

"Part of getting to know someone is getting to know where the boundaries are. And then not pushing them." Lero flicked the card into the discard pile casually. "It's clearly making you uncomfortable, so it's not worth knowing. If and when you feel like you're ready to share it with me, you can. Or never. And I'll just have to learn to accept that."

"You are curious about the answer."

"Sure. I like knowing things. And you're to be my partner. Gotta find commonality somewhere." Lero shrugged. "Doesn't have to be in the bedroom."

"That is...progressive of you. Thank you." Sumire's gaze flicked to the card. "But I feel bad for not breaking the rules of the game. Would it be acceptable for us to replace that question with any other one about me? I promise I will be honest."

"Now that's a temptation and a half. I could ask about your childhood, your hobbies, your interests, your most embarrassing moments." Lero leaned his cheek on his hand.

"Yes. My life is an open book that you get one free passage out of it." Sumire nodded, the little quirk to her lips again. "Be sure not to waste it."

Perhaps in accordance with the whims of fate (or in defiance thereof), Lero never got to ask as his watch flared with light and an alarm klaxon began to bellow from it. Sumire flinched, half-launching out of her seat even as Lero dropped the card and brought up the display. His eyes widened and then he was out of his chair, uncaring he scattered the game's cards like a cardboard leaf storm. "Lero! Where are you going!?"

"Someone's trying to break into the Vault!"

TTTTTTT

The Vault, to many people's surprise, was not located in the castle basement or ground floor. There was a treasure room, filled with knickknacks, gifts and unique card artwork that Pegasus had collected over the years. But that room was more for display and showing off to various rich guests who appreciated that sort of thing. The real Vault was the top floor in the northwest tower.

This counter-intuitive location was not a flight of Pegasus' whimsy, but a calculated decision. By placing the Vault so high up, anyone trying to get in physically would have to get into the castle and ascend the stairs - leaving only one way in or out. And given that there were no windows or doors in that tower except the entrance, someone climbing the outside would have to blow a hole through the meter-thick stone. With explosives that powerful, one ran the risk of damaging the contents of the Vault itself - if they could also blow a hole in foot-thick steel that made the Vault itself up.

Climbing the stairs alone would have winded a marathon runner at a walking pace, let alone a dead run. But Lero didn't have to worry about that – a few quick touches to an apparently decorative mosaic and he was riding the express elevator.

Praying that the 'ding!' of the opening door wasn't audible over the intruder's efforts, he slid out of the elevator. And nearly tripped over the unconscious body of one of the security team. A quick glance around showed that the other four members were sprawled around the atrium out-cold.

Lero knelt and let out a quiet sigh of relief as he found the guard still had a pulse. _But he doesn't have any injuries or markings. What could have knocked all of them out where they were standing like this? Even gas wouldn't have worked this fast!_

Another boom echoed, and the room shuddered, snapping Lero out of his thoughts. He crept along the wall. Unlike the guards, the doorway to the vault room had been broken, hinges snapped off like they had been twigs. Wondering what the hell could do that to the solid metal door, yet leave people unharmed, he peered around the doorjamb.

Almost was broad as the vault door he was standing in front of was a giant of a man, dark leather overcoat almost failing to contain the powerful body underneath. Dark hair poked free of a heavy skullcap, giving off an oily shine as the man raised a sledgehammer-sized fist and punched the Vault door.

_He's got to be twice the size of a normal person! Just what does this guy eat?_ Lero's eyes widened as he caught sight of a dark violet fingerless glove on the man's hand, the wrist covered by a massive ring that had a double row of star-shaped slots on it. _That's a gauntlet from the original Duelist Kingdom! That would mean this guy is… Panik?!"_

The room shook again as Panik slammed both fists into the door and Lero's eyes widened at the shallow dent he could see underneath the blows. _That door is made of titanium alloy! No human should have strength enough to even scratch it!_

There were a few more heavy blows and then Panik stopped, lowering his fists. "I sense your duelist spirit."

Lero felt his tongue go dry, unsure if it was because Panik knew he was there or the man's heavy, deep voice was carrying something sinister he couldn't place.

"There is no use in hiding from me." Panik said. "I know you are there. Come out and face me, duelist. If you choose to run, I will find you."

"Fine, then." Lero stepped around the corner, trying not to let his kindling fear show. "If you can sense my 'duelist's spirit', then you're perceptive for a man who's supposed to be dead."

Panik snorted a laugh, his broad shoulders shrugging. "A boy is the source of the presence I felt? You must be beyond ordinary duelists to possess that kind of presence. How unfortunate for you."

"I'm no boy, Panik! I'm the king and protector of this island, Bellerophon Pegasus!" Lero clenched his fists. _I have so little combat training and he's so big… but maybe I can outsmart him…_

"Another Pegasus?" Panik seemed surprised by the news, but then he let out a booming laugh. "So that bastard got himself an offspring? A pity for him, then! I wonder how he'll react when I present your soulless body to him as a trophy!"

That was when a knife hissed over Lero's shoulder and lodged itself in Panik's forehead. He staggered backwards like a cut redwood, slamming against the vault door so hard Lero could feel the vibrations under his feet. Whirling, he turned to see Sumire stepping over the last of the guards with a few more knives in her hands. "You just killed a man!"

"He was more than likely going to kill you." Sumire was staring over Lero's shoulder. "And isn't that man supposed to be dead himself?"

Lero didn't get a chance to more than to open his mouth to reply when he heard a grunting, groaning noise behind him. Sumire's eyes flashed, and she readied more knives. He turned back around, feeling his kindling fear burn a little harder. "Impossible-"

"Fool. Your puny knives...cannot hurt the darkness." Panik was getting back to his feet. One meaty fist reached up and pulled the knife out of his forehead. The blade came out clean, leaving only a slender ashen-gray hole of flesh that closed up in the space of a breath.

"You should not be able to do that." Sumire growled as she stepped up beside Lero.

"I am the darkness incarnate!" Panik boomed a laugh again. "The shadows hide things far beyond your knowing!"

"No, that knife went into your brain. So what was telling your body to regenerate?"

Panik stared at her, his features incredulous.

Lero stared at her. "Did you just logic-bomb an undead man?"

"Yes. For my next trick-" Sumire hurled her two handfuls of knives, watching as they pierced all over Panik's body. "I will kill an undead man!"

"Such impertinence-" Panik was already pulling knives out of his body, but then he seized up and began to twist in pain as words filled the air.

_She's speaking Ancient Egyptian? _Lero had only heard the words spoken on video recordings of the summoning of the Winged Dragon of Ra and some of his father's excavations, but Sumire was rattling it off like a pro. Her eyes were glaring daggers sharper than the ones she'd thrown and her words seemed to be hissing through the air to sink into Panik's flesh.

"No-! I will not-!" The big man was on all fours, but still almost as tall as his two opponents. Sweat was dripping down face and his shoulders heaved as he struggled for air. Knives forgotten, he struggled to pry his fingers off the ground and Lero felt his throat convulse as he saw the man's skin was bunching up like a wrinkled carpet. "I will not go back to that place!"

Panik thrust out his hand, fingers splayed wide and Lero gaped as the shadows behind Panik erupted outwards. They lashed forwards in an angry fog right for him, devouring the light as they advanced. _This is magic! Is this how he defeated the guards?_

Lero threw up his arms as the magic hit him, splashing over him like a wave. He heard Sumire cry out next to him. It was so cold it felt his skin was shrinking, everything being sucked out of it as it squeezed the rest of his body like a vise and he cried out in pain-

But then it was over, the pain gone like it had never been and Lero was staring at darkness around him in disbelief. The shadowy fog had pooled around his ankles, as harmless as it looked. _What happened?_

"Hnnn…" Panik seemed as surprised as Lero. "You resisted the darkness with that strange Duel Disk on your arm…"

Lero looked at the Duel Disk, realizing that in his haste to stop the intruder he had forgotten to take it off. The device's decal lines were glowing with faint light and it had unfolded itself into active mode. _The Bleeding Edge Duel Disk… can resist magic? _An image of the Duel Disk's creator flashed in his head. _I suppose that makes sense. Kaiba hated magic and put his faith in his own technology. So leave it to him to invent an anti-magic Duel Disk._

"Bellerophon…"

He turned, Sumire picking herself up gingerly off the ground. She looked shaken, her eyes regarding the deepened shadows around them with a cagey wariness. "What did he do?"

"I don't know…" Lero admitted. "It looks like a Shadow Game, but that needs a Millennium Item." There wasn't any time for further speculation as the fog around him stirred in anger and he turned back to see Paink almost swallowed up by it. The Eliminator's form flitted in and out of solidarity around the edges, his eyes sharp pinpricks of reflected like in the gloom. "But I'm betting the rules are close enough that we're aren't getting around of this without a fight."

"Yes! And we will do battle as we both know how! But this is not a duel, little Pegasus!" Panik lifted his arm, the limb exploded in a mess of darkness as bones splintered free into the rough shape of a Duel Disk tray. Flesh wriggled and grew, expanding to fill the gaps. Blood trickled over it, pulsing into place like a twisted mirror of the blue lines of Lero's disk. "This is the stage for your execution!"

Lero felt his stomach churn a bit, though he wasn't sure if it was because the seriousness of the situation or the sight of Panik's Duel Disk. And the fact the giant man didn't seem to care. "Tough talk from a duelist whose only real skill was hiding in the dark like a coward!"

Panik drew his opening hand of cards, the pieces of cardboard looking dainty in his beefy mitts. He didn't bother to look at them, giving Lero a mocking smirk. "If I am the one who's a coward, then why are _your_ legs trembling?"

Lero could feel it now, his left leg shaking slightly. But he just smirked. "Hey, who wouldn't be afraid of your ugly mug, Panik? I'd hide in the darkness too if I had to see that in the mirror every morning."

"Your bravado rings hollow, boy. Let's see if your skill has an actual weight behind it!"

"Oh trust me. You won't know what hit you, Panik." Lero drew his opening cards as well, feeling himself relax despite the situation. Despite it all, it still came down to a duel. _As the son of the man who invented the game, there's nothing more familiar to me than this!_

"LET'S DUEL!"

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __Fun fact, the original first duel for the series was supposed to happen in chapter 5 with a completely different opponent. But changes in the plot altered circumstances and here we are. And for all of you trivia people out there, did you know the filling to Kit-Kat bars is actually Kit-Kat bars? The damaged or unsellable ones are ground up, blended with creme and used to fill the whole ones._

_Next chapter, Lero gives the Bleeding Edge Duel Disk a field test against an opponent who far more than he seems. But will his fear be overcome or will the new darkness of Panik's terrible deck drown him?_

_Next Chapter: Panik Attack! _


	3. Panik Attack!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 3: Panik Attack!

"LET'S DUEL!" (LLP: 8000) (PLP: 8000)

Sumire heard the shout, watched as both players drew their opening hands and saw the life points flash above their heads. But to her surprise, neither of them made any further motions. They just stared at each other in silence, as if they were sizing each other up. _But this is a card game. __Why__ would-_

"Challenger takes first turn." Panik yanked the next card off his deck and gave Lero a dark look, his eyes flashing in the gloom. "First, I set one monster in defense mode...and then two cards face-down."

The three brown-backed rectangles appeared in front of him and he pulled a fourth card from his hand. "Then I activate the field spell card Lair of Darkness!"

He inserted the card into the back of his hand-bone-Duel-Disk and the surrounding shadows throbbed while the ones along the ground began to swell and thicken. The light in the room began to dwindle, to the point Panik wasn't anything over two gleams of light on his side and Lero was a dim blurred silhouette.

Then it began to spread and Sumire backed away, hand clenching one of her knives as she felt the wall bump into her back. But the darkness kept coming and while she knew there was nothing there, she still felt her heart pick up. _It's just a game...it can't hurt you…_

But it slithered over her skin and she wasn't sure what was real any more.

TTTTTT

Plato had gotten the alarm for the intruder at the same time Lero had. And if fifteen plus years of raising his charge had taught him anything, it was that Lero didn't shy away from a crisis.

He was at the Vault tower in less time than it takes to tell and slapped the button for the express elevator. A sliver of worry crawled into him when he saw that it was already at the top floor, meaning someone had used it. And that worry grew when he heard the elevator beginning to descend, only to rattle to a halt with a dangerous grinding noise.

He pulled out his phone, a touch switching the device to walkie-talkie mode. "Sir? Young Master? Can you hear me?"

Static responded.

Plato switched the device to another channel. "Plato to Security, the intruder and Bellerophon are in the top of the Vault tower and access has been restricted somehow. Do we know where the intruder came from? How did they get here?"

_"We're trying to get the elevator to respond from here, sir. And security cameras show the big guy came up from the R&D Lab."_

Plato stared at the device. _R&D? How could he have come from there? _Then his eyes widened sightly. "Send a team down there! Secure the area and check on Tesla's status!"

"_Already on it, sir. A second team has been dispatched to the tower."_

Plato glanced at the stairs. "Tell them to wear comfortable boots. It's a long climb up."

Then he sprinted up the first flight as fast as he could go. _Young Master, please be alright! I can't yell at you for being stupid if you're dead!_

TTTTTTT

"It's my turn, draw!" Lero pulled his card from his deck, ignoring how his hand wafted through the darkness to do so. _These shadows __are warm__. It's like they're alive somehow…_

Pushing that thought from his mind, he grabbed a card from his hand. "Don't think a little darkness scares me, Panik! Not when I know the person behind it is just a coward! Since you have a monster and I don't, I summon Cyber Dragon from my hand!"

Cubes of data pulled out of the surrounding air, solidifying into the heavy, limbless machine dragon that was the centerpiece of his deck. (2100/1600)

"A coward, am I?" Panik's voice rumbled from the darkness across the playing field. "Yet you are the one looking relieved when his monster illuminated things."

Lero bite his lip, irked that Panik had caught on to that. Summoning Cyber Dragon had pushed back shadows around him. _Don't let him get to you. Eliminators mess with your head as part of their schtick. _"Well, if one Cyber Dragon had gotten you this chatty, let's see what more do to you! I summon Cyber Dragon Core!" His new monster filtered into being, a segmental smaller version of it's older brethren still trailing wires. (400/1500)

"And when I summon Core, I can add a support card from my deck. So I'll add Cybernetic Evolution Unit." Lero held up the card, then added it to his hand. "Then because Core counts as a real Cyber Dragon, I can use Machine Duplication to summon two more from my deck as he's got less than five hundred attack!"

In flares of light, the two new Cyber Dragons rose alongside the first one and all three roared in unison.

Panik stared at the assembled monsters. "Four monsters at once…"

"The game's changed since you died, Panik. Let me introduce how much so! Cyber Dragon number one! _Evolution Burst!" _The dragon reared up, firing a crackling blast of energy that vanished into Panik's half of the field and exploded. Lero's smirk faded a bit as it died away, a new noise reaching his ears. _What? That sounds like...pipe music?_

Panik's laugh soon followed. "You attacked my Apprentice Piper, boy. And because that attack flipped it face-up, I can summon a monster from my hand! Load of Darkness!" The darkness near him rippled outwards as some new figure impressed itself upon it. There was only a single eye visible, but that eye towered a good four feet above Panik's already massive bulk. (3000/3000)

"Kay, so you've got a big monster now." Lero wasn't impressed. "And why is that flute still playing?"

"Because Apprentice Piper also lets me summon a monster when you destroy it in battle." Panik sneered and Lero gulped as a new form appeared alongside Load of Darkness. It was bigger again, bulky wings kicking up a gust of darkness across the field. Then ruby lights began to appear on its body. First what Lero assumed were the eyes, then down the neck and the arms and the body. And as their number increased, so did their brightness. "_Destruction Scream!" _

The ruby lights exploded as a roar ripped out of the shadows, pulverizing the playing field and erupting with such force that Lero couldn't help but scream in pain as he was hurled off his feet.

But he still grabbed a card from his hand as the explosions crept towards his Cyber Dragons. "Activate Cybernetic Evolution Unit! I tribute Cyber Dragon Core to summon a new monster from the deck!" The tiny Cyber Dragon vanished, replaced by a much bulkier version that had energy lines running along its length. "Cyber Barricade Dragon in defense mode!" (2100/2800)

Barricade Dragon's body unfolded, creating rings of energy around it like flower petals made of laser light. The barriers expanded, covering all of Lero's field and the exploding ruby lights spent themselves against the shield. "When this monster is in defense mode, my Cyber Dragons can't be destroyed by card effects!"

"But can the same be said for you, little Pegasus?" Panik's grin leered out of the darkness as with a noise akin to pottery breaking, the massive hunks of what Lero assumed where the Load of Darkness crashed to the ground. As they dissolved away, the ruby lights began to shine again. "My new monster not only absorbs the attack power of the strongest monster it destroyed, but you take damage equal to those attack points! _Destruction Echo!" _(0-3000/0)

Lero threw his arms in front of his face as the blaze of ruby lights ignited again, but screamed anyway as they ricocheted off of every available surface to get around his monsters and strike him directly. Pain tore through his body and he nearly lost his footing as the hits came. _This is way too real! This is __definitely __a Shadow Duel! _(LLP: 8000-5000)

He caught himself as the attack ended, breathing hard. Only for it to catch in his throat when he noticed what was happening to him. The surrounding shadows had thickened, coiling around his body. For a second, he thought was vanishing into it but they were thickening, sinking into his clothing and skin. His eyes went wide as he felt a warm feeling soak into him. There was no pain, and he'd never felt this sensation before. Yet there was no denying it. _The darkness...is eating me!?_

"Yes, little Pegasus. That is the fate of the loser." Panik sounded delighted at Lero's sudden realization. "You will not fade into oblivion, but be devoured by it. You will be eaten alive by the shadows so not even a trace of you is left."

Lero flexed his arm - it moved, he felt it there. But with the gap between elbow and wrist was...nothing. No sensation, no weight. He resisted the urge to swipe his other hand through, afraid to confirm that it was gone in such a decisive manner. And yet that gnawing sensation was there, tickling at his elbow and wrist. _I'll __be eaten__ alive if I lose too many life points…!_

He ripped a card from his hand. _So why don't I take away some of his and see how he likes it? _"From my hand, I activate Frontline Fusion! Still my Battle Phase, so now my three Cyber Dragons fuse together! Come forth, Cyber End Dragon!"

The three dragons rippled, pulled together into a swirl of light that resulted in a tri-headed behemoth of a monster sprawled out behind Lero. the fusion was already charging up energy in its mouth, the flare of its massive wings scattering the darkness around Lero away. "_Eternal Evolution Bust!" _(4000/2800)

The dragon fired, the triple stream of energy crashing into Panik's monster and illuminating it to reveal it was another, heavy looking dragon that Lero recognized as Gandora-X, Dragon of Demolition. Then Gandora's rubies glowed and the attack from Cyber End went scattering away. "What!?"

"Fool! The darkness hides many dangers, yet you all walk so blindly into them!" Panik roared in triumph as Gandora began to charge up another attack. "You couldn't see the ambush in front of your face. (3000-5800)

"Ambush-!" Lero twisted his head, gaping as he saw Cyber Barricade Dragon began ripped apart by the darkness. The metal twisted and lashed as if it were in pain, pieces of it spraying out nuts and circuity like blood before it was dragged away out of site. There was a horrendous rending noise of broken metal. "What did you do!?"

"It is my field spell - it changed all of our monsters into Dark ones. And because it did, I can tribute any monster your field for my card effects! So the trap Ambush Shield rid the field of your feeble Barricade Dragon and lent its might to the destructive power of my Gandora-X! Now! Counterattack!"

The ruby lights zeroed in on Cyber End like a laser targeting grid and Lero could only watch as the dozens of lights perforated his fusion like it was made of aluminum. The monster sagged, crumbling in on itself as it gave of a defeated mechanical whine before it exploded into shrapnel. Lero winced as the backlash crashed over him, shielding his face from the worst of it. "Cyber End Dragon! No!" (LLP: 5000-3200)

"I'm sorry, little Pegasus. Was that monster supposed to be your trump card?" Panik mocked from the darkness. "But now that I've snuffed out your feeble hope, it's time for the darkness to feast!"

The shadows thickened again, crawling up his legs in swirls. Lero grit his teeth, though there was no pain. But the feeling of his being just...shrinking...as it was gnawed on was excruciating, as if there were millions of tiny teeth just shaving bits of him away until there wasn't anything left. Flesh, muscle, bone - he could feel it all vanishing. _It's...it's too much!_

A scream ripped free of his throat and he could feel the trembling in his hands as it finally stopped. _I feel like I should __be shaking__ at my knees...but I don't have knees! _He refused to look down to confirm that - he wasn't sure if that sight would make him vomit or just trigger a wave of tears. _It's not even the end of my first turn and Panik's already got me on the ropes! The stories had nothing on what this is really like…!_

"Bellerophon!" Sumire's voice snapped him back to focus. There was a slight tremor in it, something he found almost as unnerving as what was happening to him. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm...okay, I'm not in the slightest. But this is fixable… it's just magic that'll go away when I win the duel." Lero took in a few deep breaths, trying to settle himself before turning towards Sumire. "You should go get…"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Sumire's voice sounded strong, but there was something about it that made Lero sure that if he pushed it, it would crumble. "Just win this!"

The rapid rise and fall of her chest, and the way she ran her fingers over her own palms to wipe sweat away spoke the truth behind her command, and Lero recognised the look in her eyes - the empty, distance of someone who was already screaming.

Oddly, seeing her like that seemed to strengthen his own resolve. He hadn't dared to look at his own body being eaten, but there was no way she had missed that. _If I __really was eaten__ away layer by layer and she's still here despite how terrifying that is, then I __really __don't have a leg to stand on for freaking out myself, do I?_

The part of him that was still rational made a mental note to tell his father this story just for that bad, literal pun alone. _He'd get a kick out of it...heh. 'Kick'. _

He turned back to Panik. The giant man had been watching patiently, but Lero could tell he was grinning wolfishly. "And just what are you so happy about?"

"The fear in your eyes… the fear in her body...that is my happiness. To see others who suffered like I have in that cold, dark hell. To know fear is to be alive, young Pegasus and seeing yours is proof that I once again am able to terrorize the world of the living!" Panik's eager tone showed he was telling the truth and Lero could see a mighty fist clench in satisfaction through the haze.

He chuckled and raked a hand through his lilac strands. "Hey, can I get a tuna fish and Dorito sandwich while we're at it?"

Panik's amusement dropped into icy confusion. "What?"

"You're the one hamming it up so bad over there, I thought we were placing food orders. Certainly be more interesting you or this duel." Lero shrugged. "Definately more delicious."

"Has fear driven you mad?" Panik demanded. "My shadows are eating you alive and you think this is funny?"

"Oh, no, no. Being eaten alive is horrendous and I'mma need therapy. You, though? You're funny, Panik. Because you're really living up to your name." Lero held up a finger pointedly. "You were so insecure about your skills, you just had to play up your darkness schtick and hope I'd be so afraid, I wouldn't able to duel properly."

"You mock my skill?" Panik's Gandora roared in response to its master's anger. "My skill is what's defeating you!"

Lero held up his hands. "Eh, you got one lucky turn. That's not a sign of skill. Just dumb luck. And you're definitely adding the former to the latter, there."

"Foolish boy!" Panik snarled. "I will crush you and peel you apart to feed the scraps to the shadows!"

"Believe that if you want." Lero let his eyes go half-lidded, the blue in them almost shining in the dark. "But I'm going to beat you on my next turn."

"Bastard-! Your mockery will earn you a painful death!"

"If you say so," Lero singsonged, grinning as Panik snarled back. "I end my turn."

"And because you do so, the other effect of my field spell activates!" Panik pointed and two shadows pooled on Lero's field, resolving into two cackling little demons. "For every monster tributed this round, you gain one Torment Token!" (1000/1000x2)

"Neat. I'm also banishing one of my original Cyber Dragons to add Cybernetic Evolution Unit back to my hand." Lero held up the card, folding his arms after tucking it into his hand. "Your move."

"I draw!" Panik ripped his card free and then held it up. "Don't think those tokens will save you! I activate the spell card Share The Pain! I tribute one monster I have to get rid of one of yours, but thanks to Lair of Darkness, both your tokens suffer!"

The two demons screeched and attacked each other, Lero grimacing as they sliced each other to bloody ribbons before exploding.

"Now that your field is clear, you have no way of stopping my next attack! And when your life points get that low, let's see how well you duel with nothing but that smart mouth of yours!" Panik bellowed and jabbed a finger at Lero. "Gandora-X! Attack his life points directly!"

The dragon reared up, the lights on its body flaring wildly and then volleying off a series of blasts right at Lero. Panik grinned as they all hurtled towards him, but then the grin faded as some kind of Cyber Dragon appeared in front of Lero. The blasts slammed into the monster, blowing it to shrapnel. "What was that!?"

"That was Cyber Dragon Struve. And if I have no monsters on my field, I can summon it even if it's your turn." Lero held up his Duel Disk even as his graveyard slot glowed. "And since you destroyed it, I can summon two more Cyber Dragon monsters from my discard pile. So here's Barricade Dragon and a regular Cyber Dragon!" The two monsters reappeared in front of him, but curled up defensively.

"Accursed boy…" Panik hissed and glanced down at his hand.

"You're not going to find a way around my monsters there." Lero smirked as Panik shot him a glare. "I know how you think, Panik. You built your whole deck around abusing Lair of Darkness. But you wasted its abilities this turn and so everything you have won't work."

"Don't forget that my field spell works on your turn as well!" Panik shoved a pair of card into his disk with a smirking leer. "All I need is one card and I'll be able to break apart your whole strategy!"

"You can't even manage your own, Panik." Lero pointed up at Gandora-X. "Or did you forget that during your End Phase, your dragon halves your life points?!"

"It does?!" Panik stared at the dragon in shock, then staggered as it blasted him in the same way it had tried to do Lero just minutes previously. "No!" (PLP: 8000-4000)

"My move." Lero snapped up his next card, watching as a Torment Token appeared on Panik's field thanks to the effect of Lair of Darkness. _Just like I thought - he didn't have any way to get rid of Gandora-__X__. He's still just a one-trick pony! _"From my hand, I activate Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!"

Adding them to his hand, his eyes widened at them. _Jackpot! _"I activate the effect of Barricade Dragon! Once per turn, I can switch the mode of any monster in play! My target is Gandora!"

"I have you!" Panik held out his hand and his set card flipped up. "Skill Shock! I tribute your original Cyber Dragon and your Barricade Dragon's effect is negated!" Lero's Cyber Dragon exploded and Barricade sagged to the ground as sparks crackled around it.

"That's fine. I just wanted you to waste that card." Lero grabbed one of the cards he had gotten from Pot of Greed. "I activate Cyber Repair Plant! Because I have Cyber Dragon in the graveyard, I can add another Cyber Dragon monster to my hand! I select Cyber Dragon Alnair!"

He caught the monster as his deck slid it free and held up another card. "Now I activate Power Bond! I fuse the monster known as Cyber Photon Dragon, Cyber Dragon Alnair and my Barricade Dragon together! And any monster summoned by Power Bond has its attack points doubled! So say hello to my ace monster again!" (4000-8000)

Panik watched as Lero's tri-headed fusion rumbled out of the darkness again, nearly sizzling with the new power it had. "Eight thousand attack points!"

_If that monster attacks either my Gandora-X or the Torment Token, I'll lose. _Panik glanced down at his set card, smirking as he remembered what it was. _But when he attacks either__ one__, my Dimensional Wall trap will send all the damage right back to him! _

"You seem pretty confident you're safe, so let's change that." Lero pointed at Panik's set card and his dragon responded, the left head firing off a blast that blew the card to pixels.

"What-! But how!?" Panik stared at the dragon with new eyes. "Cyber End Dragon doesn't have that effect!"

"If you weren't so busy trying to hide in the dark, you realize that this isn't Cyber End Dragon." Lero gestured to the fusion. Its body was more streamlined with energy flowing along it, the wings were made of energy instead of metal and the three heads were different. Though Panik recognized the one on the right as Barricade Dragon. "This is Cyber Final Dragon, and it gains special abilities when I fusion summon it with unique monsters. Photon Dragon lets it send any card on the field to the graveyard."

"But that means…" Panik began to back up as the dragon's wings began to suck in light out of nowhere and the heads began to surge with power.

"What it means is that this duel is done! Cyber Final Dragon! Attack that Torment Token! _Endless Evolution Burst!" _The fusion's heads fired, their beams combining together into a massive swath of light that incinerated the helpless token, then Gandora-X and even drowned out Panik's cry of defiant rage before exploding with enough force to scatter the surrounding darkness.

Lero felt the shock wave hit, knock him off his feet. His head hurt when it hit the carpeted floor, but he still breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the stone ceiling above him instead of shadows. And another one when he saw his body had indeed returned to wholeness.

"Bellerophon!" Sumire's concerned face appeared in his field of vision. "You won!"

"You don't have to say it like it's such a surprise," Lero said wryly as she helped him to his feet. "I am the son of the man behind the game, after all. Dueling is second nature to me. And Cyber Dragon deck are meant to generate OTKs."

"I will trust that you know what you are talking about," Sumire as she looked him up and down. "You are whole, as well. Do you feel any pain?"

What Lero did feel that she was gripping his arm with far more force than necessary and the little tremor in her tone was still there. But that feeling came back - if he pushed, she'd crumble. "No, I'm okay. Ache everywhere, but I-"

A roar of wounded rage and cracking stone sucked his next words and both of them whirled to see Panik. He was stumbling out of the shadows, his body clearly beaten and battered by Lero's attack. But the damage was wrong - the Eliminator was covered in a spider-web of cracks like he was a pane of glass and twisted violet-black smoke was wisping free of them. "If the darkness cannot eliminate you, then I shall just grind you into paste!"

He lumbered towards them, bits of his cracked body flaking off and dissolving before it hit the floor. Every step seemed to cost him more than he had to spare, but the rage on Panik's face said he no longer cared.

"Lero! Sumire! Get _down_!"

Sumire reacted before Lero had finished hearing Plato's barked order, dragging Lero face-first into the floor down with her. Lero felt something fly over their prone forms, saw Plato's shoes land in front of him and then charged toward's Panik's bulk.

There were the sounds of fighting, grunts from Plato and bellows from Panik alongside the disturbing fleshy glass-breaking noise that had to be the Eliminator taking damage. There Plato's feet vanished from the floor as he jumped, Panik's bulk staggered before Lero had to bury his face in the carpet as a brilliant teal light flared into existence.

When he felt it was safe to look, he again saw Plato's feet in front of him. And he looked up to see the sweat-drenched, unhappy face of his guardian. "Ummm… you look really upset, so is it too late to have Panik back?"

Plato just pointed and Lero peered around his legs, wincing at what he saw. The Eliminator was a cored out shell of a being, so littered with cracks that one could breeze would have blown him all way. Smoke was pouring away from the corpse as it dissolved away.

"What did you do, Plato?" Sumire asked as she got back to her feet. She was still clenching her fists tightly, but the tremor in her voice was almost non existent. "And what was he?"

"Something magical. Which I am aptly capable of dealing with." The manservant responded with polite terseness. "Lero, what on earth possessed you to run into the danger without any kind back-up or plan?"

"I don't think that question has a right answer, so I'm just going to remind you that this island is my home, Plato and I have a right to defend it." Lero said, now a bit more unfazed by Plato's look as he was standing. He crossed his arms defiantly.

"Be that as it may, sir, you are the most singularly important individual on the island and there are plenty of others who-" Plato's stern gaze fell away into concern as his eyes landed Lero's folded arms and the still-active Duel Disk there. "You _dueled._"

"I did." Lero said stiffly. "It's not like I had much of a choice. Panik shrugged off Sumire's attempt to exorcise him with knives."

"I would have been more successful if I had been able to-" Sumire paused as she noticed that the tension between men had ratcheted up and they were exchanging terse looks. "Plato, Bellerophon dueling saved our lives."

Plato shot her such a sharp look that she took a step back. His lips a thin line of disapproval, he caught both of their arms and pulled them towards the express elevator. "We're going to see Dr. Lucinda and you are both getting a check-up. Now."

TTTTTTT

Dr. Annalissa Lucinda may have been on the island to be Maximillian Pegasus' caretaker, but it was clear that her focus on coma treatment had done nothing to dull her skills as a general practitioner. Brisk, professional and thorough, Sumire came out of the check-up feeling like she'd somehow been simultaneously interrogated and dissected.

"Am I done here?" She didn't care she sounded irritated. _I have had enough poking and prodding into my life as it is. _

"Almost, Ms. Ishtar. You are not showing any signs of injury and your vitals check out." Annalissa lowered her clipboard enough so her green eyes could peer over the top. "I would like to ask how you're doing mentally, however."

Sumire felt her stomach tighten, but didn't let it show. "I am fine, thank you."

"Ms. Ishtar. I read your file. You were in my family's care after your Uncle found you and your mother." Annalissa said a firm, but not unkind tone. "And being subjected to a Shadow Duel like that, even if you weren't the participant, is very much something I am concerned about. What Lero informed us about that duel said you were very close to having another panic attack."

"Bellerophon has barely known me for a day," Sumire's voice was stern and so very like her father. "I am perfectly fine." _I could live without seeing him disintegrate like that again..._even the memory was enough to make her stomach turn, and she mentally shook herself. _Get a grip._

"Ms. Ishtar. Sumire," the doctor continued. "I am in charge of the medical health and well-being of everyone on this island. That includes you. And your file shows your panic attacks were very deep and stressful for you. And you would try to stop them through sheer willpower, only to lose it just hours later. Now, you are an adult and are welcome to walk out the door." She stepped aside so Sumire had a clear path to the door to emphasis your point. "But only if you can honestly tell me that you will not be here hours later. Probably clinging to your fiance like a life preserver."

"Your bedside manner is terrible."

"I'm dealing with the daughter of the most stubborn man in the world and the most stubborn woman, if the stories I hear about your mother are any indication." Annalissa didn't back down as Sumire glowered at her. "I'll ask again. How are you doing mentally?"

Sumire was dying to do as indicated and walk right out of the door. But that would require leaving Lero alone with this dragon, which seemed uncharitable given the circumstances. So she gritted her teeth together and replied with as little emotion as she possibly could. "I am doing fine. Thank you." _By all the Gods, just let me __go and __check on the real patient!_ She wouldn't believe he was okay until she saw him...and felt that his arms and legs were really still there...

Annalissa stared at her for a long moment, then gave a curt nod. "Very well. But if you need any assistance, Ms. Ishtar, please don't hesitate to find me."

She swept from the room and Sumire slid off the table. The panic from before still bubbled underneath the surface, but she refused to give it any credence even as images of watching Lero get eaten away layer-by-layer dance in front of her.

But she couldn't just go see Bellerophon - both Annalissa and Plato were with him and she did not feel like intruding on an already tense situation. _I have to do something. I cannot just sit here and think..._Not when thinking would only lead to replaying that duel in her head over and over again. And the ever-present, suffocating dark that had surrounded them...

Her eyes alighted on the Duel Disk outside of the door to Bellerophon's room. It hadn't taken any damage and had even shielded Bellerophon from the darkness somehow. But it wasn't perfected, wasn't truly one hundred percent. And there were always adjustments to be made.

Grabbing it, she decided she'd wait for Bellerophon in his office. The office with the big windows that got plenty of sunshine.

TTTTTTT

"What did you expect me to do, Plato? Let him enter the Vault?"

"Yes. There's a reason it's a vault, young sir, and that is because it's meant to be very hard to get into." Plato told his charge in blunt tones.

"He'd already knocked out the security team and was leaving _dents_ in the titanium-alloy door! He was going to get in!"

"Which would have taken him time, as well as retrieving whatever he wanted and trying to make an escape. That would have gotten us time to lay traps or figure out another method of detaining him. Yet you went brazenly charging off and risked you and Miss Sumire's lives." Plato was undeterred by the glare Lero was giving him. "Moreover, you wound up dueling him in a Shadow Duel and that is exceptionally hazardous for anyone, let alone someone in your condition."

"The only thing wrong with my condition is the fact my advisor is giving me a lecture."

"Well, you can get used to that because now your doctor is going to give you one." Annalissa's entrance into the room broke up the glaring match the two men were having, rapping a corner of her clipboard against her palm dangerously. "Should I start with 'What were you thinking?' or 'That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen."

"How's Sumire?" Lero asked in his best 'I'm your boss' voice to emphasise they were dropping that subject.

Annalissa gave him an annoyed look, but picked up on the hint. "She's doing fine. She's gone to work on your Duel Disk some more, clear her head."

Lero breathed a small sigh of relief, nodding. "That's good. She seemed like a person without much to worry about, but that fear during the duel…"

"Perhaps you can ask her about it later." Annalissa said and moved up to him, already pulling out her stethoscope. "Now let's take your vitals real quick. Are you feeling any pain? Other discomforts?"

"Like I told Plato, just the people in my house forgetting I'm an adult and not a teenager anymore." Lero let out a small hiss of breath as the cold stethoscope touched his skin.

"What about exhaustion? Shadow Duels can very draining on the participants."

"I'm tired, but that's not discomforting. Between running the company and doing my work, exhaustion is my state of being." Lero's attempt at a joke didn't get too far with either of the others in the room and so it lapsed into silence as Annalissa worked him over.

When she was done, she took a step back to regard him more clearly. "You're fine physically."

"What about magically?" Plato asked. "His curse-"

"Doesn't seem to have gotten any worse, but there's no telling with something like this." Annalissa shook her head. "You haven't dueled in eight years, Lero. Maybe that's bought us some leeway or something. You should consider yourself lucky it didn't trigger during the duel with Panik."

Lero frowned. "It wasn't like I had a choice."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you couldn't relapse. Or worse." Annalissa reminded him gently.

"It wouldn't do for your father to find out he's gotten better and woken up, only for you to be suffering under your own malady." Plato said in a firm voice. "You should do everything in your power not to duel again. And we'll be keeping a close on you for the time being."

"Plato, we all live on an island in the middle of the Pacific. Where exactly can I go that you can't find me?" Lero's heart wasn't in the grouse. He knew they were right, and he wasn't in a position to argue. He flexed his fingers, staring at them and suddenly very glad they could still move. Memories swam in front of him, of a duel when he was ten.

Another duel in the darkness, except that had been a true Shadow Game and not whatever Panik had been. The gleaming Eye of Horus on the Millennium Scales, the dark twisted look of his much older opponent and the screams of fear from his best friend who was caught between the two as a prize.

And the fire. So much fire. Fire hot enough to burn the darkness, fire enough to make him think the world was nothing but heat and pain. Fire enough that it could speak to him.

_"For your transgression, know __the judgment of__ the gods! The flames of your sin shall scorch away the waters of your soul!" _

The words hung in Lero's head, as heavy and demanding as when he'd first heard them more than a decade before. They were vague and dramatic, but it had been easy enough to figure out what they meant in short order. Especially after he'd collapsed during a tournament final in front of the Internet, a crowded stadium and a panicked father.

_When it happened, a second time, we __finally __put two-and-two together. And I promised Dad I wouldn't duel again unless I __absolutely __had to. And I didn't have to do it to save Sumire or the vault. Plato is right. We could have ran, waited, put together a plan. But I had to rush in like an idiot. _Lero sighed and began to pull on his clothes. "I'm sorry. To both of you. I wasn't thinking, and I nearly got Sumire and I hurt and/or killed."

"Thank you." Plato said, mollified. Annalissa just nodded.

"Let's go to R&D, Plato. The security said they found Tesla alive and not really hurt. But there's some stuff we need to look at." Lero finished pulling on his shirt. "If I'm going to stop being stupid, I need to get smart and find some more information on this whole mess."

"That is the smartest thing I've heard all day, young sir."

TTTTTTT

Working always calmed Sumire. Working on the Duel Disk or her Blue-Eyes Jet or even just organizing paperwork, it always soothed her to make progress in these tasks. That she was achieving something, gaining traction in her efforts.

And putting plenty of mental and emotional distance between her and whatever had upset her.

But try as she might, with the Bleeding Edge Duel Disk open in front of her on Bellerophon's desk and tools in her hand, she could make no more progress than she already had. The Duel Disk worked and her professional pride loathed the idea of making any theoretical improvements to it that would probably cause real damage to it.

And so that left the feelings to crawl back into prominence. Fear, helplessness, stress. They pawed at her walls like hounds eager to be let in and it was getting harder to ignore them. Not when a stray thought about how the stonework of the castle was just like where she'd grown up in Egypt had yanked her even further back than the duel. Back to being a little child, stumbling in the dark and fearing every noise she heard. The certain fear that everything that wasn't her represented a danger, a threat, and she was too small and too weak to fight them.

_So much dark._ Sumire felt a shiver crawl down her spine and forced herself not to close her eyes. She didn't need to be seeing the darkness right now. What mattered was right in front of it. It was real, tangible, solid. She knew its definitions and limits. It wasn't hiding anything, not like the darkness.

But still the tools hovered in her hands, her eyes tracking uselessly over the completely functional Duel Disk. And her thoughts kept wanting to go somewhere else. It was all so frustrating that when the holo-phone on the desk sounded, she dropped the tools and slapped the switch in eagerness to focus on something else entirely that she forgot this wasn't her office.

Mostly because her office didn't have a hologram of an angry American woman in a two-piece swimsuit and cover up glaring daggers at her. _"And where the hell have you been, missy?!" _

Sumire's eyes widened. "Jessiebelle!"

"_Once again, just call me 'Jessie'!" _The blonde huffed, the long curled ringlets of her hair bouncing off her shoulders. _"Your mom and your uncles have been calling everyone trying to find you for the last few hours! You couldn't have left a note or a forwarding address!?" _

Sumire squared her shoulders. "I could not tell anyone where I was going. This needs to happen and if I2's Board gets even a whiff of my existence and my position in KaibaCorp, this will all have been for naught."

"_Yes, because telling your Uncle, the CEO of your company, your plan to marry yourself away to Lero was such an inconvenience! Or telling your mother, who might want to know what her daughter's plans for her future are! Or your best friend, who'd want to know that her bestie is getting married?!" _Jessie folded her arms. "_All of this would have taken seconds, Sumire! Seconds! But you hopped in a dragon and put pedal to the metal to get there in record time! What the hell!?" _

"I…" Sumire glanced down at the desk. "You are right. I should have told someone - anyone - what my plan was. My family can keep secrets better than anyone and they've obviously discovered the contract if they are looking for me." She frowned at the ink blotter, then at Jessie. "Wait - if they know about the contract, why aren't they calling? Why is it you?"

"_Because I know you, girl!"_ Jessie threw her arms up in despair. "_I know how much you care about your family! They've __been so focused__ on trying to get you out of all these ridiculous contracts, it never even crossed their minds that you might be bullheaded enough to take matters into your own hands, and go ahead with one of them! I'm not stupid - I know how your mind works!_"

"Of course. My apologies for not recognizing that." Sumire couldn't help her brief smile at her friend. But it faded as the two stared at each other and the tension thickened. "Are you going to try to talk me out of this, Jessiebelle?"

"_No. I may not be as business-savvy as you or my mom, but I know enough about contracts that in a situation like this, all you have is the best of a bad options." _Jessie sighed, rubbing her cheek with a hand. "_I just wish you had told me, Sumire. This isn't some kind of spur-of-the-moment vacation or a shopping trip. This is your future we're talking about!" _

"I know." Sumire nodded slowly in agreement. "But once I worked up the courage to make my decision, then I had to come before I had second thoughts. Or I might have never done it."

"_Sumire, you spent like a month in the KaibaCorp Records room, then went out for some air and when you came back, you were sprinting to your jet and bullied the tower into giving you clearance for take-off." _Jessie pointed out, eyes narrowing. _"You've never been so impulsive before. Not without an explanation. But all you could tell the tower was 'you had to get away'. Why?"_

Sumire sank into the desk chair, staring at the ink blotter again. "I told you, Jessiebelle, I was afraid I would not be able to-"

_"And I'm telling you, I know when my best friend is lying to me. Like right now." _Jessie overrode her. "_Sumire, I have your uncles and your mom all waiting for answers and I'd really like to give them one that isn't 'Sumire had a Seto moment and decided 'screw the rules, I have money'." _Her expression softened. "_And I want to know, too. So I can help you. Even if it is just that you've shared this with someone instead of keeping it a secret."_

Sumire rested her hands on the desk, taking a few moments to center herself before meeting Jessiebelle's gaze. "When I went out for fresh air, I went to that hot dog vendor. That one who goes along the pier warehouses."

_"Yeah, love that guy. Has the best hot dogs. Aunt Serenity says he comes around the Kame Game Shop."_

"While I was out, I was approached by Yoshito Decrall." Seeing Jessie's confused expression, Sumire elaborated. "He's the heir to Ironwrought Industries and the one my other contract is supposed to marry me to."

_"Oh." _Jessie's face became grim. _"What happened?"_

"He introduced himself. Made small talk. Vague comments about the contract." Sumire's laced fingers tightened together so hard they began to hurt and she swallowed a sudden lump. "Jessiebelle...he scared me."

Jessie's eyes widened again, but Sumire continued on. "He was nice, kind, even. But in the way a sheathed knife in public is kind. The way he talked about the contract, our marriage, me, himself, it all made my skin crawl. There was such certainty in his voice. Like he was telling me the contract was immutable, and the sky was blue were facts of life. And when I mentioned KaibaCorp was going to challenge the contract, do you know what he said?"

She felt a shiver run down her spine again. "'You aren't counting on that clownish son of Maximillian Pegasus to agree to his, are you?'"

"_But why is that so-" _Jessie's breath caught in her throat. "_He knew about that contract before you did."_

"I do not know how he did it, because I only found that contract not even a day ago. In a locked filing cabinet covered in dust hidden behind a server farm." Sumire's words were tight. "That's why I told no one. I have no idea who I can trust or who my family can trust. And that is why I must get Bellerophon to be my husband before my birthday in two weeks. If I do not, then I will be married to Yoshito."

She lifted her head, blue eyes cold as ice. "And I do not want that at all, Jessiebelle. That man...is not a good man."

"_Christ, girl. You can't seem to catch a break here." _Jessie sighed. _"You should have opened with this, you know. Lero would have married you in a second and sorted out the pieces later.__"_

"Then it is not a business deal and becomes vastly more complicated." Sumire pretended that she could not see Jessie rolling her eyes. Jessie was a good friend, a badass duellist, and a style icon, but she was not a businesswoman, and did not appreciate the sacrifices that it entailed.

"_Like__ this whole mess __isn't already complicated__?" _

"Romance complicates things unnecessarily."

"_And yet, knowing Lero, he's holding off on signing the contract because he __has no idea__ who you are, wants to know you better and gave you a spiel about how clean-cut and level this marriage has to be." _Jessie jabbed a holographic finger at Sumire when the Egyptian woman nodded once. "_Seems to me he's taking it very much like business and you're the one who bringing heavy emotion into the mix."_

"He's a good person. It is selfish of me to use him to solve my problems as it is. At least, with the exchange of the contract signature and the technology, we both profit." Sumire's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "And how do you know Bellerophon? You speak of him like you are close friends."

"_...'cause we are? I mean, my dad works for I2 as a professional duelist and my mom's shipping company has a special deal to act as a Duel Monsters distributor. I've known Lero since we were itty-bitty." _Jessie rolled her eyes again as Sumire opened her mouth. "_And I didn't tell either of you I knew the other because Lero's life is Duel Monsters, which you hate and that's a bad combination." _

"I do not hate it, I do not care for it." Sumire said stiffly.

"_You're going to __have to __care soon, because that game is his life. You marry him, you can't just go back to KaibaCorp and not speak to each other."_

"I do not see why not? As I said, it's a business arrangement."

"_A business-? Sumire, really?" _Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose. "_I love you lots, hun, but you really need to get some people skills, okay? Like, take a class or find a how-to book! And learn to play Duel Monsters, too. At least the basics!" _

"That seems to be unnecessary. Bellerophon is quite the good duelist from what I've seen and I-" Sumire blinked as the holo-call jumped with static as Jessie let out a distrubed, screeching noise.

"_Lero DUELED!?" _Her holographic form took a determined step closer and then she yelped, presumably having banged her knee on the desk at her end. But it did nothing to hide the anger in those purple eyes. _"That moron! I'm going to kill him!"_

"I- why- Jessiebelle, I do not understand." Sumire said as the other woman seethed. "What am I missing here?"

"_I- look, Sumire. I can't tell you, it's an important secret for him. Just like you have some from your past, too, okay? But whatever you do, do not let Lero duel again. Not even a test one or on a tabletop."_

"But we need to test the Duel Disk and he'll surely be asked to demonstrate them-"

_"There are other people at that castle, they can duel just as well! And he's got employees who can demonstrate for him! In fact, he's got me! I work for I2! I'm in Australia at the moment, I can be there in about ten hours!" _The blonde looked off to the side. "_Raymon! Put some clothes on and pack our shit! We're going to Duelist Kingdom!" _

"_But I just got the oil and -"_

_"Oh right." _Jessie brightened for a moment with a wicked grin and then turned to look back at her friend. _"Sumire, I'll be there in about eleven hours. Don't let Lero duel, tell him __exactly __why you're there so you can both sign the piece of paper and for the love of god, call your family! If you don't do these three things, then I'll kick your ass! Or my name isn't __Jessibelle__ Wheeler-Valentine!"_

"Jessiebelle, that is not necessary. I would really rather you -" Sumire sighed as the call winked out and left her alone in the office. She stared at the space where her friend had been and then sagged back into the chair.

_All I wanted to do __was __go__ here and make a business transaction. His signature for some new technology. And then we could go one with our lives. But now it feels like this plan is just unraveling._

If it had ever been together in the first place. Jessie had been right - she'd gone off to Duelist Kingdom half-cocked and trying to push everything through because of her fears. Impulsive confidence born out of a need to prove that her fear wasn't there. Expecting her sheer force of will to make things happen.

_Just like my father. _The words were bitter, even in her head. _He always had to have things go his way, too. No matter the cost, to himself or others._ She glanced at her reflection in the blank computer monitor, scowling at the man she could see sharing her face. _And look where that ended up. His brother struggling to save a failing company, marriage contracts over trading cards and a daughter people see only as another him. _

But she wouldn't make her father's mistakes - pride would not rule her reason. Or her heart. So right now, that meant accepting Jessie was right. Flicking the holo-phone's screen to the keypad, she punched in a number she knew by heart and felt a heretofore unknown weight lift from her heart when a familiar, stern-faced man with bushy black hair answered. "Uncle Mokuba?"

TTTTTT

"Tesla, will you _stop _apologizing!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't just figure out what went wrong!" The scientist, one hand holding an ice pack to the lump on her head, smacked the keyboard in frustration and glared at the data displayed on the scene. "A hologram doesn't just come to life!"

"Evidence seems to suggest otherwise." Plato said as he stepped up to examine the large, cylindrical tank. It had been smashed and rent open from the inside, the metal and glass twisted like so much taffy. "But Panik, even when he was alive, shouldn't have had enough strength to break reinforced glass like this…"

"He also shouldn't have been able to use dark magic and duel me, but he did that, too." Lero noted and turned back to his chief scientist. "Let's start with the tank. He broke out of it, right? I didn't think Solid Vision creations could have nearly enough mass in them."

"The standard system doesn't. But the Bleeding Edge does have legitimate mass. The KC stadium in Domino made pathways and platforms that you could stand out of nothing but holograms. They're as solid as a real object." Tesla said, offering a shrug. "Once I cracked the Duel Disks, I wanted to see if we could use the tech to create holos of famous Duelists for the next Duelist Kingdom. Use them as eliminators or bonus challengers or whatever."

"That's not a half bad idea…minus the Shadow Game stuff that eats people." Lero stroked his chin, mind flashing back to the towering giant of a man he had dueled just hours before "But why start with Panik?"

"Holographic duelists aren't much good if they don't have personality. And all I2 eliminators are required to take psych profiles, so I grabbed one of the most notorious and programmed it into the hologram. He was supposed to offer to duel me and give his little terror of the night spiel." Tesla gestured at the tank and sighed. "And Panik decided he wanted 'out' and broke a five-million dollar holographic physics chamber. Sorry, sir."

"Enough with the sorries. I don't think there was anything you could have done."

"I'm not supposed to cause freak accidents that nearly cause my employer to lose his soul!" Tesla grunted in annoyance. "So I'll apologize as much as I feel like!"

"Yeah, well, your employer isn't supposed to go off half-cocked and accept a duel from the freak accident, either." Lero sighed as Tesla just shook her head. "Then how about this - if you don't stop apologizing, I'm going to start docking your pay?"

Tesla gave him a look, her lips thinned with effort she was exerting to not apologize again.

"Good." Pleased, Lero leaned over her shoulder to peer at the data on the screen. "From the looks of things, the system was functioning perfectly. Everything reads within the safety parameters. In fact…" He frowned in suspicion. "Too normal. There's nothing that even looks remotely out of place. But the guy came to life and stomped around the castle - that's gotta tell us something!"

"That's why I'm so frustrated!" Telsa huffed. "Everything was functioning perfectly! There is no rational explanation for why Panik stopped being a hologram and came to life as a...whatever he was!"

"'Monster' seems like a good a title as any for the bastard. And if there's no rational explanation, then Dad always suggested that you start looking at irrational ones." Lero twisted to look at Plato. "You're well-versed in magical things, Plato. What's your take on this?"

"I have no 'take' on it, young sir, only idle speculation." Plato said, running his hands over the cracks in the glass. "And I'm not being paid to offer explanations that would only offer more questions."

Lero lifted an eyebrow. "And what explanation would that be?"

"That given the very realistic form provided by the new Solid Vision technology, someone used magic as 'fill' the void left by that framework and gave Panik life as a type of homunculus."

Lero and Tesla exchanged glances, then the heir raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, you're right. That is more questions than answers - what kind of magic, how did they work it in the lab with Tesla right here and who could do it?"

"And we have no leads on any of that. In fact, the only thing we have going for this is that Panik existed and he was trying to break into the Vault." Tesla shifted the ice pack to a more-exposed part of the bump. "Why was he trying to get in the Vault?"

"I'm sorry, the darkness-bleeding magic dead man didn't elaborate on his need to get in there as he was too busy trying to turn me into paste." Lero said in a dry tone, though his expression became worried. "Dad stores a lot of magic things in the Vault and I don't know what all of them do. One of them could have been calling out to him or the person behind this wanted to retrieve something specific."

"Well, let's get into the Vault and check." Tesla said, starting to rise.

Lero held out his hand and shook his head. "Let me worry about that, Telsa. You need to get a check-up from Annalissa and then go over the system after you've gotten some rest. Fresh eyes and all that."

Tesla sighed, but nodded. "Alright, fine. I suppose I should start talking to Accounting and explaining why I need a new tube…"

"Don't worry about it. I'll buy it out of my personal allowance if I have to." Lero waved her worries away, pausing as a pinging noise started. "Plato?"

"Just an alarm, sir." He tapped the screen of his watch and it displayed the time. "We are well past midnight. And a lot has happened today."

"You said it." Lero agreed as he suddenly had to stifle the urge to yawn. "I should check on Sumire."

"No, sir." Plato gave him charge a look. "I will check on Miss Ishtar. _You_ are going to get some sleep."

"Plato-"

"No, sir." Plato repeated. "We all need some sleep and hopefully, with some distance between us and the today's events, everything will be a bit clearer."

Lero gave him a reluctant nod and joined him in heading to the elevator. He hoped that his guardian was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling that even with all that had happened today, it was only the beginning of something big.

And dangerous.

TTTTTTT

_A/N__: Apologies for anyone who felt the duel was abrupt, but I often playtest my duels and that is how it wound up going. And Cyber Dragons are notorious for their OTK strategies. Plus the chapter was more about setting things in motion._

_Speaking of which, the dawn of a new day reveals some new things about the difficult night before and we add several new characters to our cast - including a proper villain!_

_Next Chapter: The War of Five Wedding Rings! _


	4. The Gauntlet Is Thrown

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __I apologize for changing this chapter title, but the original intention for this chapter was unable to realized in full. Such is writing._

_I would also like to say that all legal, governmental, and corporate shenanigans herein are solely for the case of creating an interesting story and are in no way representative of such things actually work or any indication of actual research._

Chapter 4: The Gauntlet Is Thrown

The gym in the castle was small, but came equipped with dumbbells, leg machines, shoulder presses and a thin layer of dust from disuse. Sumire took care of the latter by pushing herself through twice her usual workout. The first round of exercise had helped her burn away the knots of stress and worry the previous day had given her and the second, slower-placed round had been to clear her mind.

Toweling the sweat off her body she began the walk back to her room, pulling her arms into stretches as she went. The castle was cool, despite the early summer heat outside and she felt she was going to catch a chill. But there wasn't any point in putting on warmer clothes - Sumire wanted to swim and had yet to see any kind of large body of water on Duelist Kingdom except for the ocean.

The castle was also doubling as a maze and the generic potted plants, artwork and vases placed in decorative places wound up giving every hallway a feeling like it was just like the one before. _It will take a GPS tracker to find my room again._

It didn't help that she had had to descend stairs to get to the gym and ascending to the next level didn't bring her familiarity. Save for some faint voices - too far away to be heard. Years of living underground, however, had given the Egyptian woman good hearing, and she recognized the voice as Bellerophon's. _He said he was an early riser._

She headed that way, noticing how Bellerophon's voice was only muffling two rhythmic noises. A sound of air and then a beep - a worried feeling settled on her heart as she figured out they were a ventilator and a heart monitor. _Oh. He's talking to his father. _

The idea was absurd to her, if she was honest. Even if the person could hear you, she thought talking to them about everything would just be maddening to the coma patient because of their inability to interact with their surroundings. It would be torturous to see them day after day and tell them things, all the way they scream in their own head as months turned into years. And she didn't love the sound of her own voice enough to speak of anything worthwhile.

Bellerophon - her fiance, she was going to think about him in those terms -, however, seemed like a very patient soul and the kind of man who needed to speak aloud to clear his head. And given how deep his love for his father was, any kind of connection to the older Pegasus was important to him. _Perhaps I should just wait outside until __he is finished__. _

She needn't have worried about bothering her fiance. Curled up opposite the door was rather large Australian border collie. The dog's head lifted as Sumire approached and the Egyptian woman slowed her pace as the dog stared at her. There was a sharpness in its green eyes and Sumire knew it was judging her.

_And I seem to have __been found__ guilty. _Sumire stopped, eyeing the dog as it began to growl at her lightly. She felt confident she could take the dog if it came to that, but fighting an animal differed from fighting a person and she would not come away without some serious wounds. Her grip tightened on the towel in her hand and she began to roll it together - an impromptu whip would hurt if she put some force behind it.

The staring match was broken as Bellerophon poked his head out of the door. "Artemis, what on earth are you -" Catching sight of Sumire, he sighed and then looked back at his dog. "Artemis." The dog stopped growling, looking at him. "Artemis, _befehl__. Freund." _He pointed at Sumire, making sure her eyes followed his hand. _"Freund." _

Artemis stood up, coming to Sumire. The dog looked the Eygptian woman over and then sniffed her hand. She gave the human's fingers a few contemplative licks, then sat down and shuffled her tail across the floor.

"Good girl, Artemis." Lero smiled a bit and gestured to Sumire. "Go on. Pet your new friend."

Sumire wasn't sure she really wanted to pet anything, but there was something so endearing about the expectation in Lero's eyes. _It's important to him that we're friends. _She glanced back at the dog, and tried not to think about how seconds ago she had been judging how it could take her down, before she reached out a hand again, hoping that Artemis would take the last step on her own.

The dog just shuffled her tail over the carpet again and leaned in her head into the human's hand. Sumire let out a mental sigh of relief and scratched between the ears. The wagging tail sped up, then Artemis wriggled free, got up and padded over to stand behind Lero. "I was not aware you had a dog."

"She's my emotional support animal/guard dog. Got her personally from Arceno Lucinda when Dad went into his coma." Lero patted Artemis' head, and the dog leaned into his leg.

Sumire stared at him in surprise. "The head of LuMed delivered her personally?" Easy enough to assume that the Pegasus family could afford top-quality care from the famous family, but the company founder and family's patriarch doing a delivery was akin to the President of the United States letting you borrow Air Force One.

"Yeah. Surprised me, too. Turns out he and my dad are old friends from way, way back. Don't see how, though." Lero grimaced at the memory. "Arceno gave me such a stern warning about not abusing Artemis and making use of her accompany treatment plan that I felt like he was handing me a Faberge egg, not a dog."

"He must like your father very much, to do such a thing. I have heard he is the most strict of men." Sumire said. There was an awkward silence for a moment, then she let the question on the tip of her tongue fly free. "Do you always talk to your father in the morning?"

"No. Just every few days. Or when something major happens. Like, ya know, finding out I'm engaged because he wanted to have a laugh," Lero said, shooting a huffy look through the door. "He probably still finds this whole situation hilarious, mind you. He'd find a way through the mess, but be snickering to himself the entire time."

"I see."

More silence.

Lero looked Sumire up and down, taking her workout gear. "Do you always work out in the morning?"

"Yes."

"Good, good. I should really get back into that habit. And pick up practicing Baritsu again."

"You do martial arts?" Sumire cocked her head at him. "You seem to lack the...aggression needed."

"Trust me, I was an angry little orphan boy when Dad picked me up. I know there's more than a few mirrors and paintings around here that are covering up holes I kicked in doors and stuff."

"There's also one you somehow put in the garden wall - we never figured out how you made a six-inch deep hole in solid stone blocks, young master." Plato appeared behind Lero like he'd teleport and Sumire had to suppress a grin as Lero almost jumped. He suppressed the urge, but it gave him a funny full-body twitch for a moment.

"There a reason you trying to scare your employer?" Lero said with a lifted eyebrow.

"Just doing my job, sir, by informing you that I will spend the morning combing through your father's personal records and that chef is finished with breakfast." Plato passed a pad to Lero, gesturing down the hallway he had come from. "So if you're done counting our guest's abs, please eat something before it gets cold and she loses her temper. Again."

"Servants are supposed to be servile, not flippant!" Lero shot his guardian's retreating back a scowl, but then sighed as Artemis, as if understanding what was going on, began to nudge his legs in the right direction. "Well, shall we go?"

"I would like to shower first, then I will join you."

"Good. And be quick or Artemis may think you need herding like the rest of us!" Lero called over his shoulder as his dog's urgings became more insistent.

TTTTTTT

"You realize I'm still blaming your half of the family for this."

"_My _half?" Mokuba Kaiba looked up from his computer screen, annoyed blue eyes peering out from between the curtain of his dark bangs. "Which side of the family is the career criminals again?"

"One word - Death-T."

"Uh-huh. Look, Marik, Sumire is a grown adult. She can make her own decisions and we respect that."

"Even when she flew off to go marry a man she's never even met, all based on a marriage contract _your _brother cooked up so he could keep his precious Blue-Eyes all to himself?" Marik said, leaning over the desk so his glare might be more effective in ruffling the hair on top of Mokuba's head.

Mokuba paused in his typing, looked up at into the older man's sharp purple eyes and sighed. "All right, I'm not too happy with this, either. From a family perspective, Seto somehow went and screwed this family over _again_ and from beyond the grave. This contract is terrible, stupid and petty. It's also a _mess_ of legality issues, rights issues and a can of worms from every aspect. As Sumire's favorite uncle-"

"Hmmm, my coffee mug says otherwise."

"- as her _favorite_ uncle-" Mokuba continued, once again resisting the urge to sulk at the fact Marik had been the one to receive a little Sumire's one-and-only attempt at clay sculpting and painting. "-I find this reprehensible on so many levels that I'd be more than happy to let KaibaCorp crash, burn and then scatter the ashes than make her go through with it."

Marik retreated to a standing position, folding his arms. "Where's the 'but' in this, Mokuba?"

"From a business perspective, it's a godsend, and we'd be stupid not to take it." Mokuba sighed, settling back into his chair and began ticking points off on his fingers. "We have the Bleeding Edge Technology, but I2 has the rights to it, anyway, because it was developed specifically for Duel Monsters. Our PR is so ridiculously bad that we'd never be able to garner public interest in yet another Duel Disk when the market has plenty of other options and a Bleeding Edge disk would be expensive for the average consumer. Bellerophon Pegasus is smart enough to just take that tech and ditch us. So the marriage contract means we have to be involved and its our Holy Grail."

He gave Marik an arch look. "And the biggest gain from her marrying is that it renders the contract with Ironwrought Industries void and prevents them from buying us out and turning this company back into a weapons manufacturing complex."

"Not to mention she'd avoid Yoshito. The stories I've heard about that guy...he makes the Rare Hunters and Ghouls seem like charity workers…" Marik sighed in reluctant agreement before stalking over to throw himself into an armchair. "Even if this comes out to a net positive, Mokuba, I still don't like it at all!"

"Neither do I. But Sumire is the one who has to live with it. And you know her. If it'd save her family, she'd do anything."

"That doesn't mean she _should_. This contract nonsense is just another form of destiny!" Marik argued. "I've spent my whole fighting that battle and so did her father! And her mother! To have her just..._accept_ all this and make it happen without a fight is just wrong!"

Mokuba bite his lip as he typed some more data into the spreadsheet. Marik's argument wasn't anything he hadn't already had with himself. It wasn't like any Kaiba to just accept an inevitability like this and go along quietly with it. And the Ishtars weren't above fighting against such things, either. Sumire, being of both bloodlines, should have been railing against the heavens to keep her life and her future being taken away from her.

_But what choice does she have? This is the best of bad options. _His mind flashed back to the orphanage he and Seto had spent time in, how Seto had gambled to get Gozaburo to adopt them and how they'd both suffered under that man's hellish idea of parenting. All to ensure that they had had to worry about money or starving or being homeless again.

Mokuba had always appreciated his brother's efforts in shouldering the burden of being both sibling and parent to him, of being the provider. But Seto had always had trouble letting go of the past, always expecting the future to take care of itself. And because of that mindset, the specters of Seto and Gozaburo haunted his niece, her own future twisted together with their pasts like a Gordian knot.

His insides were only slightly less twisted. Sumire had gone off on her, on her own discretion and while Marik may have had the knee-jerk anyone could be expected to have, Mokuba found himself rather proud of her. Sure, she'd gone out on her, leaving only a note. But as heir to KaibaCorp, she had the discretion to enter deals like this and as an adult, there wasn't anything to do but accept it. And as much as he and Maximillian didn't always get along, he'd always had a soft spot for Bellerophon Pegasus. _Pegasus __is stupid good__ at game design, but he's even better at raising a son…_

A chime from his laptop drew him out of his reverie and he tapped the flashing icon in the corner. It expanded into a video window that contained the face of his secretary. "What is it, Aaron?"

"_There's an urgent call from Marketing, sir."_

Mokuba frowned and Marik lifted his head out of his sulk, concern spreading on his face. "How urgent?"

"_They say it can't wait."_

"Patch it through." Aaron's youthful professionalism was replaced by a stern, weathered-looking Japanese man in a suit and tie. "What is going on that is so urgent?"

"_We just got fed a preview of a commercial Industrial Illusions is about to air. I don't think we __were supposed__ to, sir, but they __probably __forgot we get advance notices for media thanks to our licensing agreement."_

"And what's this commercial about that you had to get my attention?"

"_I...well, you'd better see for yourself, sir." _The man pushed a button and his face vanished, replaced by a screenshot of Duelist Kingdom and some impressive music.

"_Fifty years after the tournament that created the original King of Games, Duelist Kingdom will once become the battleground for a new era of duelists and legends! And it all starts with -"_

Mokuba and Marik watched the commercial, faces going slowly from shock to anger to concern. Mokuba played it a second time, just to be sure he had heard it right.

He and his step-brother exchanged glances. The Eygptian man looked worried. "The moment this hits broadcast, everything will blow up in our faces. What was Lero thinking?"

"This isn't him - it has to be his Board. And that means he and Sumire are about to get screwed over." Mokuba slammed a button on his phone. "Get me Bellerophon Pegasus on the line, now!"

_"Yes, sir." _A moment, then a confused crackle of hesitation over the comm. _"The call isn't connecting, sir. There's some kind of jamming between Duelist Kingdom and us."_

"Jamming-" Mokuba stared at the phone, then swore under his breath. "Contact Domino Airport! I need to know if the _Fusillade _took off!"

_"Yes, sir." _If Aaron was confused by the sudden request, he didn't show it. There was a tense silence for a few minutes, then he came back. _"It took-off about thirty minutes ago." _

"Thank you, Aaron. Inform the Department Heads I'll be going out for the rest of the day."

"_And your wife, sir?"_

"Rebecca, too." Mokuba shut the channel and rose. "Marik, we're going to Duelist Kingdom."

"Kay. Whose ass are we going to kick when we get there?"

"Yoshito Decrall." Mokuba popped a hidden wall closet and fished a standard blue trenchcoat from the closet and swung it on - his brother's signature coats worked just fine as a banner of war for the Kaibas. "The _Fusillade _is his personal jet and because they manufacture weapons, he's allowed to have a signal jammer on it. 'For his own protection'."

Marik's eyes widened. "Then the only reason we can't reach Duelist Kingdom is because he's flying there right now!"

"Yes. That commercial we saw will probably be hitting the airwaves just before or when he gets there. The Board went behind Lero's back to set this up and keep him in the dark. There's no way for him to get out of this once the commercial is shown to the entire world"

"So we're going to Duelist Kingdom to-"

"If Lero's already married before Yoshito gets there, he can make the Board and Yoshito look like fools for trying to pull a stunt." Mokuba's lips thinned. "We have to tell him and Sumire to sign the contract right now."

"Hence the jet," Marik finished, his expression mirroring Mokuba's. "He's got a thirty minute head-start."

"I've got a fast jet. Meet me on the roof."

Four minutes and thirty-seconds later, Mokuba was surprised when the other man came striding out of the elevator dressed in casual street clothes - just jeans, t-shirt and a jacket. And even more surprised to see Marik sliding a knife into a sheath. "You're bringing weapons?"

"Career criminal, remember?" Marik stowed the knife away behind his back and watched with a grin as the sound of an engine revving up filled the air. A moment later, a Blue-Eyes White Jet floated up from beneath the tower. "Never going to tire of that. Better than any motorcycle!"

"You can fanboy later." Mokuba was already leaping into the open cockpit and was strapped in before Marik had joined him. "Hang on, I'm about to break a few city ordinances about speeding aircraft flying so low."

"You're going to -" Marik words were shoved back down his throat as he was slammed back into the seat when Mokuba slammed the throttle forwards. The jet roared forwards, a half-turn slamming the older man into the canopy as Mokuba whipped the jet between two other companies' skyscrapers. "Who taught you how to fly?!

"I've been playing Microsoft Flight Simulator since I was ten." Mokuba reassured him even as he leveled out and angled the jet in the direction Duelist Kingdom lay. "Only crashed about half the time."

"That's a comforting thought." Marik said, but Mokuba just smirked as he saw the other man hasten to buckle himself in canopy's reflection.

Once they hit the ocean, he shoved the throttle as far as it would and felt the jet roar like a real dragon as it sped up. He hoped it was fast enough.

They had to make it in time.

TTTTTTT

With Sumire off showering, it left Plato and Lero with their usual morning routine. Lero would eat while looking over paperwork and screenshots and forget he was eating as a fork stopped halfway to his mouth as he found something pressing to look at. While Plato would nudge his employer in to look at the more demanding things instead of locking on to trivial details, keep the fork away spilling anything onto the electronic and attempt to tame the mess that was Bellerophon's hair.

It was an ongoing war that he'd just about broken even, with the hair resisting many cremes, sprays and gels and Plato wrestling it into a presentable shape without scalping his employer.

"Ow! Plato!"

Though it was a bit touch and go sometimes.

"I'm sorry, sir."

"You don't _sound_ sorry!"

"I assure you, sir, I am positively bereft." Plato said in the serene neutrality of a proper manservant even as he braced one hand on the side of Lero's head so he could get more leverage on his hair. "Beset with grief."

"I've played with snowmen that have more warmth than you do right now." Lero muttered under his breath, but didn't fight as Plato took the brush - now cold thanks to the dollop of styling gel pressed into the bristles - and attacked his hair once more. "What's on the agenda today?"

"I've rearranged your schedule for the next two weeks to free up the time for you to work on your new card designs and spend time with your fiance. Speaking of which, how do you think last night went?"

"Okay, I think." Lero shrugged. "We didn't kill each other." He winced as Plato thwacked him with the brush. "Hey!"

"Young sir, I will remind you that 'we didn't kill each other' is _not_ a good benchmark for any kind of relationship, let alone a marriage." Plato told him. He hadn't altered his tone, but Lero could feel the disapproval radiating hidden behind the politeness. "You and Miss Sumire need to develop a working, functional relationship and starting off the wrong foot could have long-term consequences. So try again."

Lero grumbled under his breath, but complied. "She's smart, confident and not too shy. The icebreaker game we played showed that. Knows what she wants and if there isn't a path to it, she makes one."

"Go on."

"She's very formal, stiff. Her pronunciation is spot-on and English is her second language. Third, if she learned Arabic and Japanese first." Lero paused as Plato tilted his head to the side attack his hair from a new angle. "Plato, how far back did the records you find go about Sumire?"

"About twelve years ago."

"Meaning she was about eight. Did you find anything further back?"

"No, sir." Plato gave his ward a speculative look as he battled the ever-resilient hair. "Any reason you need that information?"

"Just a theory. It's crude, but it slots a rather neatly into place about her history and how she's the kind of person she is now." Lero flicked up to the next page of his report, though he wasn't really reading it and took a bite of food. "Seto Kaiba ruffled a lot of feathers by digging up the Millenium Puzzle and violating the Pharaoh's tomb twenty years ago. And only Ishizu as a Tomb Keeper could have lead him to it."

"I'm sure he paid the Eygptian government outrageous sums of money to do so."

"Sure, but then he takes the Millenium Puzzle, then up and vanishes with that Quantum Cube thing, the tomb collapses afterwards. The Eygptian government must have been furious and pinned the blame on the Ishtar family. The other branches of Tomb Keepers probably felt the same."

"Ah, I see." Plato said, comprehension in his tone. "You feel the Ishtars hid underground during the first eight years of Sumire's life. That is why she is socially awkward and her speech so formal- she had to learn all of that well after the normal developmental periods in her life."

"It also explains her reluctance to discuss her dating history yesterday. Japanese society is hard on people who struggle and do not learn quickly. Doubly so for someone in her position. I can't imagine she had much of a social life with her father's name hanging over her like that alongside everything else. And she's got a Kaiba's pride." Lero closed his eyes. "For a person like that, her struggles to form lasting connections, especially emotional ones like dating, must be very personal and hard to admit. Failure or success."

There was no immediate response from Plato and Lero wasn't expecting one. So it was a mild surprise to her the subject of his little theory speak up from the doorway. "I knew you were perceptive, Bellerophon, but to plan such a successful theory on knowing me scarcely a day is impressive."

Lero opened his eyes. Sumire had changed into casual business wear and her face was neutral, leaving it impossible if she was upset or not at his guess. "I apologize if my guesswork is upsetting."

"No, it is fine. You would have found out at some point or another." She slid into the room, seating herself upset him. "Plato, might I request breakfast from you?"

"Certainly, ma'am. Is eggs, bacon and toast to your tastes?" Sounding pleased at her nod, Plato untangled the comb from Lero's hair and set it aside. "I shall return with some in short order."

"Thank you." Sumire settled back into her seat, watching Lero as he closed his report and busied himself with his half-eaten toast. "Did you know we share a mutual friend in Jessiebelle Wheeler-Valentine?"

"Jessie? Yeah, I'm not surprised. Jessie's capable of making friends with people she meets in queues. She's got over a hundred contacts in her phone," Lero took a bite of toast. "Good people person. Bit of a smartass, though."

"Yes. She is a good friend. The kind who is not afraid to tell you when you are doing something wrong," Sumire agreed. "And I was chastised last night."

Curious, Lero abandoned his toast as his guest shifted to sit just a few millimeters straighter. "How so?"

"I have not been honest with you about my reasons for being here. Saving my family and KaibaCorp are among those reasons, but also in them is that I am frightened by my other intended." Sumire said, her lips tightening in a half-frown as Lero just nodded in agreement at her. "You are not laughing. Or surprised."

"Sumire, I've had my fair share of stalkers and creepy exes. There isn't anything funny about the way they act and can damage your life. As for your other intended, I had Plato dig into Yoshito Decrall, too." Lero shook his head. "He's a piece of work. Easy to see why he'd be intimidating."

"He knew about our contract, somehow before I did." Sumire watched Lero's eyebrows jump into his hairline. "I do not know how. There must be a leak, but no one at either company actually knew about our contract until my discovery."

"That's another mystery to add the list, alongside how the hell Panik came to life and what he was after in the vault." Lero sighed, picking up his toast and a taking bite. "Yoshito is the more immediate problem. Everything Plato found on him tells me he will fight tooth and nail to ensure we recognize his marriage contract as legal."

"My own research said the same thing. There was an incident with another, smaller weapons company in the United States. Ironwrought wanted to buy them out, and they refused. They had developed a new assault rifle that was making them millions. A month later, Ironwrought came out with a better version of the same weapon and then did the same to the rest of that company's products." Sumire pursed her lips. "Ironwrought bought that company before the year was out. There were accusations of thievery, copyright infringement and corporate espionage, but nothing could be proven."

"Ironwrought doesn't seem to have much in their morals apartment," Lero said. "And Yoshito is just as bad if not worse. We dug around into his personal life, as much as we could. He's had a string of girl- and boyfriends, all of whom just mysteriously stop dating him and avoid public life. There are bad rumors around him. Such as how he's a monster of a martial artist who trains because he enjoys it when they fight back. Or his penchant for crushing the lives of other people with the weight of his influence, ensuring it can never be really tied back to him."

"He goes beyond the usual corporate skullduggery," Sumire said and her laced fingers tightened. "Knowing all this now, will you marry me? Even if the answer is 'yes', I know Yoshito will still come at you with every weapon in his arsenal."

"And I'll meet him." Lero scraped at his plate, but didn't really attempt to eat anything before he set his fork down and lifted his head to meet Sumire's gaze. "Industrial Illusions and Duel Monsters are worth trillions. He can't bully me like the others, not when my company is bigger than his. So yes, I will marry you and then we'll see how can bury him before he causes trouble."

Sumire gave him a light smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. After breakfast, we'll grab Tesla and Annalissa as witnesses - Plato also counts as a notary - and sign the contract. Making this whole thing done and dusted." Lero glanced around the room. "Speaking of which, it shouldn't take this long to breakfast. The kitchen's only a floor away."

After staring at the door for a minute and the manservant doing not appear, he tapped his watch. The screen projected itself in mid-air and he tapped a button marked 'Plato'. "Hey, you okay in the kitchen, Plato?"

The button flashed red, and he frowned at it. "That means Plato's set his comm to the answering machine mode, and he's busy with another job. But it's just a simple breakfast, not a buffet."

A chime blinged out of his screen and it switched to a 'Incoming Call' page. Sharing a frown with Sumire, he tapped it and was surprised to see Mokuba Kaiba appear with a fierce look on his face. "Are you in another Blue-Eyes Jet? What is the occasion-"

_"__Sign__ the contract- get married! Right now!" _Mokuba barked over Lero's words and scowled when the younger man looked thrown. "_Did I stutter? Go do it!"_

"Uncle, we are intending to, but-"

_"Sumire, don't argue! Grab whoever you need and __sign__ that goddamn contract!" _Mokuba didn't seem bothered as Sumire looked just as surprised as Lero had to be shouted at. _"Hurry up! Everything depends on it!"_

"I'd love to, but I can't do it without notary and Plato's busy!" Lero insisted, then paused as a low roar began to fill the air. It was not very loud, but deep and he watched as the water in his glass began to ripple. "Good lord, Mokuba, how fast are you going?"

_"It's not me. I'm still twenty minutes out." _Mokuba hissed in frustration. _"It's Yoshito!"_

"Yoshito-!" Lero and Sumire exchanged worried looks again, then raced to the window. The Pegasus heir stared as a massive, quadruple-engine jet in military camo paint blazed over the castle so low he felt his teeth rattle. "Guess we know what was taking Plato- he had to deal with that!"

As they watched, the plane zipped over the island and out to sea again before banking into a wide looping turn that brought it in perpendicular to its previous course. The jet began to descend, ocean water spraying up in waves as it plowed through the surf like it was nothing. It glided to a halt with surprising grace and Lero could already see a ramp extending from the door to the beach.

"He knows I'm here!" Sumire hissed through clenched teeth. "Here to get married to you!"

"But how? Not even your family knew!"

"_It doesn't matter how he knows, just don't engage him!_" Mokuba said through the comm. _"Just grab Plato and sign the contract - don't acknowledge that he's here or that either of you is here! We're going to need all the plausible deniability!"_

"It's too late for that, sir." Both Lero and Sumire turned to see Plato striding towards them, his face tight with frustration. "Onboard that plane is Darrius Alola and a representative of the Japanese Government. They know you are both here and have requested to see you both immediately."

Lero felt his heart size with a spurt of fear. A member of his Board with Yoshito - there was no way around it. They knew about Sumire, they knew about the Bleeding Edge Technology and they were clearly not seeing helping him in their goals. _The one bit of hope I had - gone in the blink of an eye._

A strong hand seized his shoulder, and he turned to Sumire looking at him with a fierce expression. "This is not over, Bellerophon. Not by a longshot. So let us go greet our guests and learn what they think they can pull over on us. Then we crush them."

"I wish I shared your confidence…"

TTTTTT

By the time they were all assembled in a conference room, the tension was so thick Lero thought it was going to suffocate him.

That or Yoshito Decrall's smug was going do it. Everything about him spoke about accepting perfection and victory and nothing else - from the crisp lines of his suit, the neat styling of his dark blue hair, the thin smirk on his face. The half-lidded look in his green eyes said he knew he'd already won and was waiting for Lero to catch onto the fact.

Lero was finding it hard not to do so, but he kept up his poker face. _Dad always taught me to never show happiness victory or resignation in defeat. Neutrality is the key - your opponent can't claim either if you don't. _"Would you care to explain why you felt the need to buzz my home like that, Mr. Decrall? And why you are here in the first place?"

"You must forgive me, I was in such a rush to share my good news with you." Yoshito said with such cool and smooth politeness that Lero was reminded of high-quality ice cream. "This tournament is such a grand idea, after all."

Lero felt Sumire frown at his side, while Plato remained expressionless. "Tournament? If you're referring to the _potential_ second Duelist Kingdom, that is still under debate as to its existence."

"You mean you haven't heard?" Yoshito looked mock-confused and gestured to an aide he'd brought with him. "You must be the last person on earth to learn about it and I mean that quite literally. Play him the commercial."

_Commercial? _Lero felt his mask drop along with his heart, which ended up somewhere around his ankles as the aide produced a holoscreen, turned it towards Lero and hit play.

"_Fifty years after the tournament that created the original King of Games, Duelist Kingdom will once become the battleground for a new era of duelists and legends! And it all starts with __the tournament of__ the century!_" The camera swooped in and around Duelist Kingdom in what Lero recognized as one of their stock shots for such a thing. _"Ladies and gentlemen, duelists of all ages, Industrial Illusions is proud to present The Bride Tournament!"_

"Bride Tournament-" Lero couldn't help himself and his jaw dropped while Sumire let out a gasp of surprise as an image of her flashed up on the screen.

"_The daughter of the former World Champion and Duel Monsters icon Seto Kaiba, heir to the famed KaibaCorp, Sumire Kaiba __is caught__ in a tangle of business dealings and the heart! For __she is betrothed__ to two mighty, talented and handsome men! The heir to Duel Monsters itself, Bellerophon Pegasus! And the man whose fortune __mints__ bullets and money, the heir to Ironwrought Industries, Yoshito Decrall! __"_

Images of them both flashed up on the screen even as Sumire shot to her feet, slamming her hands on the desk. "This is unacceptable!"

"Oh, don't worry. It gets better." Yoshito assured her with a palm down gesture.

_"With all things being equal between these two men of wealth, taste and power, it has come down to the best way to decide a battle of this magnitude! Duel Monsters!" _The image flashed over Duelist Kingdom again, this time putting Lero and Yoshito in corner boxes and highlighting five empty boxes underneath. "_To compete for the lady's affections, both men will select five duelists to represent them in this tournament! Best of five wins Sumire's hand and all that it contains!"_

The image changed again and now it was Lero shooting to his feet, jaw set so tight he felt his teeth might grind apart. Scattering over the screen were images of Duel Monsters cards backed in white and black - his new Synchro and Xyz mechanics. _"And to celebrate this milestone occurring on Duel Monster's 50th anniversary, __the chosen duelists for this tournament will be given__ exclusive access to the new Synchro and Xyz cards for their decks! Armed with new Bleeding Edge Duel Disks - beyond even the cutting edge of holographic technology - the game of Duel Monsters is about to evolve in ways beyond your wildest dreams!" _

There was more, but Plato was reaching across the table and shutting the projector. Sumire was seething, her expression cold. "How dare you-! This is completely unacceptable and I refuse to be considered a prize to be won!"

Yoshito cleared his throat. "Forgive me, Miss Ishtar, but rude that consideration may be, it is still accurate. Japanese law does not allow for one person to be married to two or more individuals. And both marriage contracts are valid. There is a dispute between on which one is more valid."

"That is a matter for a court of law and lawyers, not some card tournament!" Sumire snapped. "Nor did I agree to or sign your contract, Yoshito! I only told you KaibaCorp would consider it!"

The man on Yoshito's left - a twig-like man swallowed by his suit and glasses - cleared his throat. "Excuse me. I am Polero Arakwaza. I represent the Japanese government in this matter. And you have been misreading your contracts, Miss Ishtar. It is not you will be married on your twenty-first birthday to these two men, only that until your twenty-first you may edit, revise and challenge the provisions of the contracts. You have been legally married to both Mister Decrall and Mister Pegasus since you were all of age."

Sumire's jaw locked shut, her expression hot enough that it was a surprise that Arakwaza didn't just burst into flames. "I still cannot be married to two people at once."

"That is where this tournament comes in," Darrius Alola interjected smoothly. He was seated on Yoshito's right, leaning on his cane and looking calm and pleased. "Rather than waste years of time and millions of dollars on lawyers bickering over who crossed the 't's and dotted the 'i's, the matter will be resolved through the tournament. The winning side will have their contract declared the only correct one by the Japanese government."

"Except I didn't authorize or agree to such a tournament." Lero said, finding it easier to remain calm if he reminded himself that Sumire had enough anger right now for the two of them. "And I did _not_ agree to my new card mechanics being produced, either!"

"The Board is acting in the best interests of Industrial Illusions, Lero and we are still the legal head of the company as your birthday has not yet happened. We do not need your approval to plan a tournament." Darrius said with a bit of a cruel smile. "And as you pointed out just a day ago, you are the head of our Research and Development. Meaning Industrial Illusions owns your ideas created under our banner."

"I really do not see what the fuss is about." Yoshito said in pleasant tones, looking like the heated debate wasn't that. "This is the shortest solution for all involved. And it is not something you are really able to do anything about, Lero. That commercial went live just thirty minutes ago around the world."

Lero felt his chest tighten and tried to draw in a breath, nearly choking to do so. _We're so screwed. Ironwrought Industries supplies the Japanese Special Defense Force, so I know they used that weight to __make the government__ agree to this. And the Board is still the legal head of the company, so they don't need my approval to do any of this. Calling them out, decrying the commercial would just weaken my position and stir up public backlash in so many bad ways. _

He settled on Arakawza, his fingers clenching. _And if even the public backlash happened, it won't stop the tournament. The government has agreed to this instead of court proceedings and we have no choice to but to go along. _

He caught Darrius' eye, remembering how he had threatened the Board the day before with walking out of the company with Duel Monsters under his arm because the Pegasus owned the patent. But even that had been negated. _If I walked away with Duel Monsters, the public backlash at the loss of anniversary and tournament would tank the brand's name. I could offer it to another company, but it would be years, decades, before I regained any prominence. And no guarantee that it wouldn't just wither away because of all this. _

It was hard to breath - the ray of hope Sumire's arrival and scheme had given him had been snuffed out. He knew there was a way out of this, but it was beyond him to see it now. _Dad could find it, no doubt. But he's not here...and I'm just a placeholder for the real deal._

He swallowed a sudden lump in his throat, the act tasting like he was choking down a mouthful of styrafoam peanuts. The conference room felt constricting, the sunlight harsh and burning. There was Yoshito across the way, his confident expression and victorious smile stabbing deep into Lero's heart. _He carved my world apart like it was nothing - and that face says to him, it was nothing. Just another business move, cold, calculated and ruthless. And I told Sumire I was going to stop this guy?  
_

What chance of that was there now when he'd been beaten before he'd began?

As if he reading Lero's mind, Yoshito's smile widened and he rose to his feet. "The tournament will be held in thirteen days time. I think it will be a glorious way to celebrate your birthday, Miss Ishtar. And our nuptials."

Sumire bristled, her eyes blazing. "I will never marry you."

"That remains to be seen." Yoshito said, words carrying polite menace. "Do try and find some good duelists, Lero. The whole world will be watching how we celebrate your father's beloved creation, after all. And you wouldn't want your last gift to it to be a poor showing, now would you?"

Then he was gone, Darrius and Arakwaza with him.

The silence in the room was thick, cloying and Lero snapped out of his thoughts to find Sumire glaring at him. Her lips were thin, tight and her fingers were curled into fists.

"I know." Lero said, the words awkward as all of a sudden, his mouth had become numb. "I should have said something, done something. But I didn't. I can't." He stared down at the tabletop. "I'm sorry."

Sumire just glared at him, whole body tense with unspent anger and then she stormed from the conference room, door slamming behind her.

He could feel Plato's presence behind him, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright, young sir. We can still win this. I will start making calls, find the best duelists for our side." Then he, too, slid from the conference room.

Lero traced imaginary lines in the faux wooden tabletop, mind blank. What was there to do? There was no escaping this tournament and Plato knew as well as he did that Yoshito would have secured the top duelists in the world before even creating the commercial and coming here. And Darrius' presence meant the Board was angling for him to win, as well. It was a solid bet the Board already was - or already had- gone about ensuring that any of the picks Lero would want were unavailable. After all, when Yoshito won, they'd have more than enough means and leverage to sell the company.

_This is what failure feels like. _

There was the sound of something ruffling against the carpet and then something warm pressed into his lap. It was Artemis, her tail wagging over the carpet even as she stared at her owner with warm eyes.

She knew he was hurting- she always knew. It was her job. She'd been there when Lero had finally come to terms with the fact that his father might never wake up. She'd waited for nearly an entire day under his desk when Lero had a break-up and refused to deal with it. She'd chased him across the island one time, nearly broke through his door another - anytime she felt he was hurting, she'd just find him.

And now, when he'd failed his father, she'd found him again.

And just like all those times before, she let him cuddle her and cry into her fur.

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __Yeah, sometimes, the game of life is rigged against you. As Lero has learned the hard way. Lot of variations for this chapter, some a lot more complex and niggly than they would need to be, some more insane than normal. Still, satisfied with this one, even if it has a downer ending._

_Next Chapter, as Lero tries to pull himself together, we switch to Sumire. And her plan. Because of course she has one. She's a Kaiba. And when you mess with a Kaiba, they don't get angry._

_They get even._

_Even if she have to go tracking down her fiance's ex-girlfriends for help._

_Next Chapter: A Call To Arms; Sumire's World Tour_


	5. A Call To Arms Sumire's World Tour

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 5: A Call To Arms: Sumire's World Tour

Sumire watched the afterburners roar on the Blue Eyes jet, a dull hum of annoyance to the roar of rage that tore through her insides. Rage at Yoshito and his conniving plans, rage at Seto Kaiba and his insipid obsession over the Blue-Eyes that created this mess in the first place and even rage at Lero, who had cracked and wilted before this frontal assault. _He did not even speak up in defense of me as __fiance__ or argue this blatant backroom dealings, just accepted it!_

It was unlike anything she'd read about or seen from the man in the two days she'd been here. He'd been grappling for control of his father's company since Pegasus' accident and now it all had come to the fore. Yet Lero seemed ready to quit before crossing the goal line. _That is fine. For all their scheming, Yoshito and the Board have also handed us our own method of victory. We win this tournament and all of this nonsense __will be settled __for good. _

Sumire may not have been at all knowledgeable about Duel Monsters, but the two men clambering free of the Blue-Eyes Jet were. There was the childish impulse to run up and hug both of them, but her rage simmered that off in short order. "Uncle. I'm happy to see you."

"Uh-oh, she was smiling when she said that. That's usually Kaiba for 'I'm extremely pissed off and manners are the only thing keeping me from killing someone.' Guess that means we didn't get the message off in time." Marik didn't seem phased at Sumire's sharp nod, arms tucked behind his head. "All right, Plan B. Where's Yoshito?"

In response, Sumire pointed back behind the two men and they turned to watch the retreating, camo-colored dot that was Yoshito's personal plane.

Mokuba watched it go, arms folded. "Better run after it, Marik. You can't knife him from all the way down here."

"Hey, I've got a good arm and great aim." Marik shielded his eyes as he watched the plane, then shrugged. "And I know a few people who know a few people they probably shouldn't. Want to go that route?"

"With the entire world now exploding over this tournament, I'm pretty sure people would put two-and-two together pretty quick." Mokuba gave him an eyebrow as Marik just smiled. "And no, we can't just arrange for the Internet to mob-lynch him, either."

"Goddammit, you Kaibas take all the fun out of everything." Rolling his eyes, Marik stowed his hands in his pockets and turned to regard his niece. "Where's little Pegasus?"

"I do not know. Angsting somewhere, perhaps. I do not care right now." Sumire scowled as Mokuba sighed. "He sat there and did nothing, Uncle! He has no will to fight, no spine!"

"Sumire, I don't think you're getting what Lero is going through right now. Or has been through." Mokuba said in a patient tone, unphased as Sumire just continued to give dark looks. "Fine, we'll save the people skills lesson for later. We need to figure out where we stand on all this, how badly we're all screwed over and what we're going to do about it."

"Find powerful duelists. Win the tournament."

"I see you've inherited Seto's talent for understatement. That's right up there with 'beat Yugi in a duel' and that spawned Battle City." Mokuba strode past his niece, coat flapping as he did. "Back to the castle. If Lero's currently unavailable, we get the next best thing. Plato probably already has half the work done for us."

"I hope that includes lunch." Marik didn't bat an eye as the other two members of his family gave him looks over their shoulders. "It's lunch time, we haven't eaten yet!"

TTTTTT

Mokuba had known Plato for well going on twenty years and the man had always possessed a deep, calming demeanor that spoke of a life heavily experienced and dedication to his goals. The manservant could have been running I2 if he'd ever wanted to, but he'd more than once expressed the desire to do nothing more than care for the family he was in charge of. And in private, Mokuba had wondered more often than once if Seto would have ever become like Plato if his elder brother had rid himself of all the ego and obsessive arrogance.

So it was a rather sharp indicator of how bad their situation was when the manservant looked up from the computer he was working on in Lero's office, caught sight of who was with Sumire and then just shook his head. "We're already beaten."

"At least wait until we sit down until you tell us the bad news," Marik said, dropping himself into a plush armchair. "We're old men - the strain of surprise could be bad for our hearts."

Plato smiled, though it wasn't much of one. "Your irreverent humor is always appreciated, Master Marik. And it is comforting to see you and Master Mokuba in our time of need. But the Board and Yoshito have stacked the deck against us to perfection."

"How so?" Sumire, seeing her Uncles were taking up the two armchairs, had settled on leaning back against a bookcase, looking cross and Mokuba marveled at just how much she looked like Seto in that moment. Same fierce pride, same fire in her eyes, even the same set in her jaw. "Duel Monsters, as Bellerophon has told me, is the world's pastime. There are millions of duelists."

"Yes. But companies often keep a 'stable' of duelists that they sponsor on-hand for situations similar to ours. Industrial Illusions, being the manufacturer of Duel Monsters, has about twenty of them who we pay to sit by their phones, wait for a call and make appearances." Plato glanced at his computer screen. "All twenty are unavailable to us."

Mokuba tried to not let his grim expression show, but knew he'd failed. "The Board's doing?"

"Yes. In the last twenty-four hours, all of the duelist have been rendered inaccessible. Some already had prior engagements, others were suddenly pulled into a top-tier, closed tournaments."

"Closed tournaments?" Sumire was scowling again. "And how can they be unavailable - this tournament is the biggest event of the year, if not the decade. We can simply order them home."

"A closed tournament is one that's not available to the public - it's often used to test new products in the field or to resolve issues or fights. Any participants must sign an NDA and have no contact with the outside world." Plato explained. "As for the others, their prior engagements are ones they cannot be extricated from - because they're personal or because they're the star attraction or promotion."

"I'm sure that's not all of them," Marik put in. Despite his casual posture, there was a glint in his eyes that meant he was giving the situation his full attention. "But I'm betting the rest all suddenly went on vacation and mysteriously forgot to leave contact information."

Plato nodded. "They're loyal to their pocketbooks, not the Pegasus family. If the Board gave them all expenses paid vacation with only stipulation to not answer their phones, they'd jump at the chance."

"Again, there are millions of duelists. If these specific ones will not work, we have an entire population to pick from." Sumire frowned at the three men gave her looks. "If I am missing something, please tell me and do not just chide me! I am ignorant of this game and its subtleties!"

"The problem is, kiddo, that Yoshito had prior knowledge of this whole mess. And I bet anything the Board helped him pick out top-tier talent for his team." Marik said. "So we can't just grab a random duelist and call it good. If you have a million options, the top ranked duelists are beyond good."

"Yes and Yoshito's already announced his team." Plato tapped a button, and a holo screen appeared between them, projecting headshots and brief profiles of five men. Both Mokuba and Marik glanced it over, sharing a wince. "Yes, that was my reaction."

"He's got the number four through number nine of the top ten duelists in the world. Wonderful." Mokuba shifted his head to look at Plato through the blue tinting of the digital screen. "Odds on getting numbers one through three?"

"Nigh impossible. The current World Champion is occupied with a major tournament, number two is notorious for refusing to work for anyone and has no ties to any corporation - she duels only when and if she wants to. Number three is just gone, with rumors suggesting he's gone off to the Dueling Underworld."

Sumire stared at the screen, eyes going over the profiles. "I know of how difficult this for us, but I feel we are forgoing an obvious option." Seeing Mokuba nod to continue, she walked around the desk and tapped out a few things on the keyboard. The Pros' images vanished, replaced by several more profiles of people everyone in the room recognized. "Our extended family contains some of the greatest legends of Duel Monsters. They will drop everything to help us, I am sure."

"Yes, they would and I'd sign myself up, too, but there's a lot preventing that from happening." Mokuba began to tick points off on his fingers. "As KaibaCorp is a tournament sponsor,, no one from our family may participate because...again, _Seto_, so that leaves out me, your mother, Marik, Odion and your Aunt Rebecca."

"But Uncle Yugi is the greatest duelist in the world -"

"He can't participate because of the Living Legends rule." Mokuba held up a second finger. "Back in their heyday, Uncle Yugi and Joey couldn't even participate in a card shop tournament without someone trying to claim their titles. Then there was the people who wanted them to use them for promotions and whatever. So I2 put out a rule - duelists of a certain win/loss record, status, title, whatever, are 'Living Legends' and cannot participate in show matches, tournaments or any other kind of corporate event whose sole purpose is to promote or further a company's interests. It's protecting their careers and images. Which, thanks to the Board shoving Lero's new game mechanics into this, the Bride Tournament counts as one of those."

Mokuba held up a third finger. "Last point, all of us have been retired or semi-retired for over ten years now. Yugi, Joey and the rest would ignore the Living Legends rule to help us, but it does not guarantee them victory. Especially when the game has changed so much. Betting on them would be perilous and worse, if our side loses the tournament, Lero would catch all the blame for ruining _their _careers for his own personal gain."

"Well, the Board and Yoshito would spin it that way," Marik interjected with a sigh. "And as KaibaCorp has seen in the last half-decade, public opinion makes or breaks you. Lero wouldn't stand a chance - he'd be the world's punching bag for everything wrong with Duel Monsters."

Sumire folded her arms. "But there still must be others. Surely there are duelists who do not participate in ranked tournaments or official scorings who are just as good or better as top Pros."

"Sure are, but good luck finding them. They're off the grid for a reason. And without official statting, we'd have to test every potential until we got one we thought was strong enough. That's without factoring in luck, etc." Mokuba shook his head.

Sumire's eyes narrowed. "Then about the Dueling Underworld?"

"No." Marik's voice cut through the conversation like a knife. "Any duelist from there is not one to risk. The least of those people would just sell us out to the other side for a quick payout, the worst are career criminals and you can't duel in a tournament from a prison cell."

Sumire looked ready to throw up her hands. "Then what do you suggest we do? You are all just as bad as Bellerophon - admitting defeat before we have even begun!"

Marik just sighed, burying his face in his hand as Mokuba just narrowed his eyes and Sumire could feel a rather harsh gaze from Plato from her side. "Do not just glare - you know I am right!"

"You're a lot of things, kiddo, but that is not one of them." Marik got up, grabbing his niece's arm and guiding her to the door. "C'mon, let's go find some privacy and call your mother. She's been worried sick about you and Odion isn't far behind."

Mokuba watched them go and then turned back to Plato. "Can I borrow your phone? I have calls to make."

"Certainly." Plato looked puzzled. "But why would you need my phone to do it? Your phone is better than mine."

"Yes, but for the people I'm calling, I'd rather they not know it's from KaibaCorp just yet."

Plato's eyebrow rose. "You mean…"

"Yes." Mokuba sighed. "Her."

"That desperate, are we?"

"Can't get that much more desperate."

TTTTTTT

"Well, that was harrowing." Marik, seated reverse-style on a chair, watched as the screen winked out. "Maybe it's a good thing we're so far away from her. Pretty sure that glare would have cut us down on the spot in person."

Sumire had nothing to disagree with, so she just folded the laptop closed. "She was furious."

"Because she's worried, like any good mother. You're involved in some pretty heavy stuff, Sumire and she's probably already scheming up a way to knock-off Yoshito if he wins the tournament and becomes your legal husband."

"As are you and Uncle Odion," Sumire gave the older man a look, and he just nodded. "You realize that such a thing would bring us more trouble than it is worth, yes?"

"Never hurts to have a Plan B, kiddo." Marik watched her get up and move to stare out the window. "Ah, I see your Plan B is to brood at nothing. Does it help your brain percolate?"

"Uncle…!"

"Just calling it like I see it," Marik waved a hand, dismissing Sumire's warning tone. "So don't go losing your temper."

"I am not losing my temper," Sumire said, ignoring her own tight-faced reflection in the window. "I am trying to solve this lack of duelists problem and do not have energy to give to social niceties."

"Hey, I appreciate the situation you're in - and, by extension - the rest of us, but we have almost two weeks of time. There's no need to stress out so early on." Marik said with a shrug. "That just makes you half as effective as you need to be. Take some time to breathe-"

"Yes, Uncle, I know what I need to do! I know that we are fighting from a very desperate position and I know that horrible man will be the one who marries me and make my entire future life a living nightmare! I know that he will do everything in his power to keep me from separating from him! I know of how much danger I am in!"

She finished breathing heavily, only to find Marik blinking at her with a serene expression.

"...did that make you feel better?" he uncle asked, and Sumire suddenly felt childish for her outburst.

"No." Sumire said after a long moment. "It changed nothing, it was a waste of energy."

"That's not what I asked, Sumire."

The sounds of raised voices saved her from answering as they came through the door.

"Plato, move over! You are totally running my dramatic entrance!"

"You cannot just kick down the door!"

"My boot says otherwise!"

Marik frowned at the door as there was a loud, hard 'thud!' from his office door. Followed by a yelp and then a crash, followed by another yelp of pain.

From outside, they heard Plato's deep sigh. "I meant you cannot kick down the door because it is currently locked and made of solid oak."

"Just help me up! I think I got flowers in my hair!"

"And vase all over my floor…"

"That sounds like Jessiebelle…" Sumire noted.

"AKA the 'One-Woman Hurricane'?" Marik rolled his eyes as there was a sound of falling and another crashing yelp. "You don't say."

Jessiebelle's voice again as Plato sighed. "Oh, hush. I've broken that one before. I know damn well that Pegasus replaced it with an IKEA knock-off!"

"I do not think he ever meant for you to take the term 'knock-off' literally, miss." Plato said in a dry tone and there was a brief pause. "There. I have plucked the petals off of you and I will now unlock the door. Please do not break it, the furniture or anyone inside."

"No promises! Now open the door!"

"I do so with reluctance, but as you wish…"

Sumire watched as the lock clicked and felt a wave of relief wash over her as the door swung open to reveal a blonde woman in skinny jeans and a t-shirt with the words 'I Don't Look Pretty, I AM Pretty' stretched across the front. "Jessiebelle, I am glad you're here. It has-"

"Hang on, hun, I need to slap a bitch!"

The Egyptian woman frowned, confused as the aggressive statement did not match to Jessiebelle's smile and easy posture. Then that frown almost went flying across the room along as the blonde slapped Sumire's face so hard the noise cracked like a gunshot.

"I'd ask what the hell is wrong with you, but I know it the fact you're short on social cues so I won't lay into you for that." Jessie said, not even waiting for Sumire to right herself and unaffected by the stunned look the other woman was giving her. "But I will lay into you for not picking up on one so large you could flag down a bus with it!"

"Jessiebelle, I do not understand -"

"I know, so I will make you understand, girl! First point - where the hell do you get off just bailing on Lero after that meeting!?" Jessie demanded. "Your future is not the only one on the line here! Or did you not consider what will happen to Lero if he loses the tournament and the Board steals his company out from under him!?"

"So you have been to see him-"

"What I saw was his bedroom door! He's holed himself up in there and won't answer anyone except in one-word answers! Which leads me to my second point - you need to know of how badly this has gotten to him! He has been fighting for two years, Sumire, to save the company and the game of the man who literally took him in off the streets from those sleazeballs on the Board and now they've backed him into a corner!"

"Do you think KaibaCorp and my family do not mean as much to me as his does!?" Sumire slammed an open palm on the desk, eyes narrowed. "They are at stake, too and unlike Bellerophon, I risk being enslaved to a terrible man and my family destroyed!"

"And he knows that, too!" Jessie glared back, leaning forwards. "Which is just one more thing he thinks he's failed at, Sumire!"

"He gave up before we even started to fight-"

"Yeah, because unlike you, he knows Duel Monsters ins and outs! And knows the Board and Yoshito wouldn't have concocted this Bride Tournament without rigging it first! Which means, to him, the ideas of losing isn't a possibility, it's an inevitability!"

"That is the attitude of a coward!"

"And you've got the attitude of a damn ice queen!" Jessie fired back. "Which isn't helping you! How are you and Lero supposed to work together to win this thing _and _have a life after if you keep refusing to see his point of view?!"

The tension in the air was thick, sparks almost crackling to life between the two women's gazes. Then Sumire sagged back into her chair, sighing. "You are right. Again. I have been a terrible fiance."

"Be his friend first, then worry about the fiance part. Lero's the kind of guy to stress himself over a fiance and her happiness, even knowing it's just a marriage of convenience." Jessie reminded her, seating herself in the chair Marik wasn't occupying.

"Mmm...I will apologize to Bellerophon. Again." Sumire was not happy with the idea, but resigned herself to it. She and Bellerophon were trying to help each other and getting angry at him over a very stressful situation wasn't anywhere near that goal. "But even if I do, it does not change our situation."

"I know. Your Uncle Mokuba filled me in when I got here." Jessie said in sober agreement. Then brightened, jerking a thumb at herself. "And hey, at least you've got one duelist! I'm number ten in the world!"

"Really?" Sumire lifted her head in surprise, blinking when Jessie nodded in eager assurance. "That is impressive. I had no idea."

"Hey, Duel Monsters isn't exactly your cup of tea. And I cracked Top Ten just two months ago - it's why Raymon and I were in Australia. We were celebrating." Jessie grinned at the memory. "Was a kick-ass tournament. Lero was about as excited as I was when he gave me the trophy for winning it."

"Mmm. Pity Bellerophon is not closer friends with more Pro Duelists. What about the duelists in the positions below you? Would they be sufficient to-" Sumire sighed as Jessie shook her head.

"I walked over most of the Top Twenty to get to my spot, Sumire. The gap between me and Number Eleven is just as big as the gap between Number One and Number Twenty." Jessie flipped some hair over her shoulder. "And most of those hyenas would demand every cent you've got for the duel and even, they'll be bribable by Yoshito's side."

"So we need duelists who are talented and loyal…" Sumire mulled this over in her head. Something clicked, and she found the words spilling out of her. "Jessiebelle. Outside of yourself, does Bellerophon have any good friends who are good duelists?"

"Well, yeah. Most of his social circle are duelists. Dueled a few of them myself." Jessie cocked her head as Sumire began to smile. "Oh no, you can't be serious about recruiting them. They aren't exactly Pro Level."

"But they are good enough for you to acknowledge their strength. And as his friends, they have a personal stake in making sure we win the tournament. And Duel Monsters has plenty of stories of motivated duelists whose sheer determination increases their skills to an incredible level," Sumire said, her grin spreading. "Are your parents not an example of this?"

"Okay, yeah, you have a point." Jessie allowed, sharing a concerned glance with Marik. "But Lero's social circle is small, Sumire. And the ones who are duelists don't do it professionally. Heck, most of them have their own companies to run."

"I am certain this event will draw their aid - Lero is their friend and requires help and if they participate, they'll be in a favorable position to deal with I2." Sumire was smiling, as much excitement as she'd ever shown. "And we are short on options - there is no shame in trying."

"But the devil's in the details, Sumire," Her uncle put in. "These people are scattered around the globe. And if they're as important as Lero, it's not like you can just ring them up directly. You have to go through red tape and staff. That could take hours or days for each one and even if they said yes, they'd have to fly here for the tournament, learn the new rules and card mechanics-"

"If we message them all today, there will be ample time for all of that," Sumire was not deterred. "KaibaCorp satellites track the locations of every Duel Disk on the planet. And it is possible to send a prepared message through the Duel Disks. This increases our odds of getting their attention. Which we may already have, given how highly pushed this 'Bride Tournament' is."

"That's...okay, that's kind of clever. And scary." Marik admitted. "Not sure I like the idea of my Duel Disk being a tracker. And don't the Bleeding Edges ones read your mind? That's not exactly kosher. It can be dangerous."

"Uncle, you used a Millenium Item to enslave people and peer into their brains!"

"Which is why I know how that's dangerous - you wouldn't believe how many Rare Hunters had some serious issues with porn."

TTTTTTT

_Dead Laugh Clubhouse, Dry Springs, Arizona, United States_

"Aw, c'mon, Princess, give yer white knight a kiss!" The words were strong, but sloshed out in equal amounts to the biker's beer as her fumbles caught the sleeve of her 'Princess'.

"Knock it off, Ladie, yer drunk! And you kiss like a walrus when you're drunk!" Princess tugged her arm free and made to slid out of the booth, grimacing as Ladie caught her wrist. "Hey, I said-"

"And I said gimmie a kiss!" Ladie's mug cracked itself and the particleboard table, half-rising, half-pulled out of her seat as Princess try to get out. "It's not so much ask, innit? I saved your ass from those Stone Clowns!"

"Yer the one who got'em riled up in the first place!" Princess snapped, only to wince in pain as Ladie stood up and pushed her back into the booth's corner. "Ladie, I'm warning ya, you come here and I'll knock out the rest of your teeth!"

"And I'm sayin' you need to remember some goddamn manners!" Ladie was standing up, blocking Princess' side of the booth with her body - and leaning heavily on the seatback for stability. Her jabbing finger wobbled. "I'mma yer girlfriend and I need some love ever now and again! Dontcha care?"

"I care, I care," Princess muttered and used her foot to stop Ladie from leaning in. "'Course, you don't, given how you were matching lips with Sadie!"

"Sadie don't mean anything to me!" Ladie insisted. "And a kiss don't mean jack all! Happens all the time!"

"Didn't say the lips you were matching were on your face, Ladie!"

"You little-"

Something sailed between the two women, lodging itself in the tabletop and quivering to a halt. Their gazes followed it, revealing it to be a paintbrush that still stripping with black paint.

Princess winced and even Ladie seemed to lose some of her intoxication as they both turned in the direction the brush had come from. "Hey, Straightjacket…"

"Hey." Tucked into corner booth was another biker, most of her upper body hidden by the shadows. Resting on the table in front of her was an angular mask, and she was already dabbing another paintbrush into some well-used pots. "You two are distracting me from my work."

"Sorry," Princess muttered, giving Ladie a shove. "Just that this bitch-"

"Don't care. You two are on-again, off again like someone's flipping a goddamn switch. And the rest of us don't really care which. But I do care if you two start another drunken brawl." The paintbrush glided smoothly over the white surface of the mask, trawling in half-circles that added a scaly look. "You mess up my work again, there's going to be trouble."

"So what?" Ladie demanded, a chug of her mug have restored inebriation and confidence. "You ain't so tough and your little 'horror queen' thing is just a gimmick! You're as scary as a kitten, Jackie!"

'Straightjacket' paused in her work, glancing down at herself. Instead of the leather jackets most of the other Dead Laughs were wearing, she was wearing a tattered straightjacket instead. Belts of leather with loose buckles and dangling strips decorated her toros underneath and a few wild ones jutted from her arms. "Well it is, Ladie. Hard to be called crazy when I'm stuck in the asylum with you pieces of crap."

"That's enough mouth!" Ladie took another swig, shoving the half-empty mug into Princess' startled arms and advanced for Straightjacket's booth. "How about I take that jacket of yours and strangle you with it?"

Lights played through the bar's windows as two bikers pulled in and Ladie stopped as the light fell squarely on Straightjacket's position. Her eyes went wide. "Holy crap...your face…"

"Pretty, isn't it?" Jackie laughed as Ladie stumbled back when she stood up, putting herself into the light in full. Princess let out a disturbed noise and slunk down into her booth. Ladie had nowhere to go, and she flailed, catching herself on a chair. "Still want that kiss, Ladie?"

"Oh gods!" Ladie rolled to get away, but just caught herself and retched alcohol and chips across the floor. "Jackie - no, I'm sorry! Just put the freakin' mask on! Please! I dunna wanna see that face in my nightmares!"

"Sure, Ladie, sure." Jackie picked up the mask, careful to avoid the wet paint on it and slid it onto her face. It covered the upper half, leaving her lips free to quirk into a smirk. "Just remember to be good from now on...or Straightjacket might take you back to the asylum with her."

Ladie was already protesting, but Jackie had stopped listening. She shoved the other women into her own vomit with her foot, stepping over her and ignoring the half-hearted look and quiet murmurs from the few other gang members at the clubhouse.

Contrary to popular belief, the desert was cold at night and she felt the cold air sting her face even through her mask. The parking lot was mostly empty, most of the other Dead Laughs were out - presumably harassing one town nearby. Which would include tagging some bare walls or pavement and trying to duel people for free drinks. _ Freaking biker gang reads like a goddamn soap opera half the time! _

Her own bike was nearby and Jackie considered, as she had many times before, just hopping onto it and taking off down to wherever the road would go. The Dead Laughs weren't the first gang she'd belonged to. Most were just ways to get some cheap housing and gas in-between her dueling jobs.

Speaking of which, there was a light coming from her Duel Disk. There was a moment where she was swearing vengeance on the asshole who'd damaged the device, but a closer examination showed it to be coming from one button on the disk portion. Pulling the device from its holder and sliding it on, she tapped the glowing button.

The holoprojectors warmed up and Jackie watched as the device spilled out light, which resolved into an Egyptian woman in business attire. "_Hello, Jackie. My name is Sumire Kaiba and a mutual friend of ours - Bellerophon Pegasus - needs your help. As you may have heard, I2 announced just today a 'Bride Tournament'. However, this tournament is a power play by the I2 Board of Directors so they can oust Lero from his control of the company. They have taken away all the potential duelists he may pick for this tournament."_

TTTTTT

_Sandbanks, Dorset, England_

_"I am asking you - one of Bellerophon's friends - to __participate__ in this tournament and help him. You will __be compensated__ for your time and I will pay for all travel. Just go to the nearest I2 office and have them scan your Duel Disk to confirm you are the intended recipient of this message. Time is short and-" _Rosemary did not bother to watch the rest of the message play, shutting off her Duel Disk. Her teacup clattered against the saucer as she set it down. "I am going. Jeeves, please get one of the cars. We are heading to I2's London Branch immediately."

"At once, ma'am." There was the smart clicking of shoes on marbles as he departed. "Shall I grab one of your travel bags?"

"Just the small one - I should still have several of my things at Pegasus Castle." Rosemary stood, frowning at the man standing on the room's opposite side in front of a green screen and holding a camera in his hands. "I hope you're not expecting me to stay. I apologize, but I am canceling this photoshoot."

"But - we only just started. And you're still only on your first outfit," The man gestured with his camera at the two-piece blue-and-violet bikini Rosemary was wearing. "And the magazine is expecting these pictures next week!"

"My agent will be in touch to discuss this matter, but this is an emergency." Rosemary flipped some white hair over her shoulder and started for the changing screen tucked into the corner. "Now please leave the room. I need to change."

The camera man spluttered a bit, but a sharp look from her changed his mind about voicing an actual protest and he did as he asked. Rosemary changed in record time and was just finished buttoning her blouse when she heard the telltale 'click-click-click' on the marble floor and a figure approaching the screen's other side. "You cannot stop me from going, Amane."

"As your agent and your mother, I most certainly can." Amane strode the screen, brandishing her tablet like it was a weapon. "This photoshoot wasn't easy to arrange, and neither was getting your name lined up to appear in _Fashionable Weekly. _This 'Bride Tournament' has nothing to do with you."

"Lero is my friend, and he needs my help." Rosemary retorted. "He needs duelists and I can duel."

"I've seen the commercial for this tournament and the reports of Yoshito Decrall's line-up. They're some of the best in the world." Amane scoffed. "If that Pegasus boy is so worried about things, he should just duel himself."

Rosemary glared at the woman who called herself her mother. "You know he cannot do that."

"And you know _you_ are the reason he can't." Amane was unfazed by the glare. "You aren't going to make it any better by doing this now. Grow-up and let go of this guilt trip. Associating with him will not do your career any favors, particularly since you'll be crushed in this tournament and it'll be shown across the globe. So put that bikini back on and smile so the photographer doesn't have to edit in again."

Rosemary's fingers began to clench, even as another part of her wilted slightly from the hard look Amane was giving her. "If we win the tournament, my career would skyrocket. My image would be plastered over more magazines than _Fashionable Weekly. _And Lero would be grateful. Beyond grateful. Give me anything I asked for."

Another scoff. "That is a mighty big 'if', Rosemary. And what on earth could you ask for that would be worth taking two weeks out of your busy life? Duel Monsters cards?"

"I'm sure you will think of something profitable and luxurious in the two weeks leading to the tournament." Rosemary took a step forwards so that she and Amane were face-to-face. "Which story sells better - the friend who ignored his cry for help or the friend who dropped everything to come and help him? Spin it right to the right magazine and paper and this _Fashionable __Weekly_ contract will be chump-change."

Amane pursed her lips, clearly thinking it over. Then she stepped back to let her through. "Then you'd better win, Rosemary Bakura. Or there'll be hell to pay."

Rosemary didn't answer, shoving past her. For a moment, her mother and her career didn't exist even as she felt her heart throb in sympathy with the pain she knew her friend had to be in. _I'm coming, Lero. I promise!_

TTTTTT

_Kame Game Shop, Domino, Japan_

"_-is short and so I ask you to come to Duelist Kingdom as fast as you can. We have until the end of the week to submit our list of duelists for the tournament. For all our sakes, please agree to this selfish request and help Bellerophon."_

The hologram winked out, leaving a woman in blue pajamas splotted with puppies staring where it had been. Her hair, a blending of magenta and red stuck out in every direction like a miniature explosion. She rubbed at her eyes and then slapped herself into further wakefulness. "Mom! Hey, Mom!"

"What is it, Kaede?" Her mother's voice echoed back up the stairs, followed by the ding of the cash register drawer. "I'm busy with customers!"

"Can you get that new part-timer to cover my shifts for the next few weeks?"

"What on earth for?"

"Oh, nothing much." Kaede was awake enough to be stumbling around her room, pulling up clothes and smell-testing them to check re-wearability. "I just got invited to one of those major tournaments that is so big, it's going to totally destroy the person who loses it!"

"Awww, that's your first!" Her mother said in delight. "Be sure to call your father before you go! Which tournament is it?"

"Oh, Lero got caught up in some marriage contract shenanigans, it looks like!" Having found clothing that was wearable, Kaede was leaning on her dresser and trying to squeeze a shoe onto her foot. "Probably something that Uncle Max did that's come back to bite him!"

"...I don't think we're even surprised any more when that happens."

"I know! Remember that time Uncle Max asked Dad if he could do this teensy-weensy favor for him and Dad wound up dueling Mickey Mouse? Who'd have thought Uncle Max made Disney mad at him?" Kaede grabbed her backpack, shoved her Duel Disk haphazardly into it and bolted down the stairs. The bottom step seemed to take offense to this and tripped her, only a last minute-cling to the railing letting her turn the would-be fall into a faux-graceful corner rounding.

That lead right into her mother - Kaede let out a 'whuff' of air as they collided and offered a sheepish grin as her mother took a step back. "Sorry, Mom. Didn't see you down there."

"Kaede, that was never funny. It will never _be _funny." Giving her daughter a look only mothers' could, the older woman returned to where she was sorting out the morning delivery of Duel Monster's card packs into the display case. "No matter how many times your Dad laughs at it."

"Hey, it's not my fault that two of the shortest people in Japan got married and had a tall kid." Kaede grinned lopsidedly as her mother rolled her eyes. "I know, I know, I get my height from Uncle Joey's genes."

"And your recklessness - you've lived here all your life and you know how bad that bottom step is, but you never seem to remember that it's there." Serenity scolded, making up for the difference in height with motherly attitude and Kaede rubbed the back of her head in sheepishness. "You better not act like this during the tournament, young lady."

"Yeah, yeah." Now it was Kaede's turn to roll her eyes. "C'mon, mom, it'll be fine. After all, I'm the 'Devil's Bride' -as an Eliminator, I eat Pros for lunch! I take pride in my job!"

"Uh-huh." Serenity gave her daughter a look. "Shame that professional pride doesn't extend off the dueling field to your wardrobe."

"I'm presentable! And it's an emergency, so there's no time to wait for laundry! And Lero will have spare clothes! I need to get to the I2 office and get to Duelist Kingdom right away!"

"Yet you were still able to sleep till noon." Serenity said, chuckling as Kaede went red and huffed. She forestalled her daughter's argument by pulling out a piece of toast and shoving it into her mouth. "I had your brunch ready for you, but I guess you're going to eat it on the go. Like usual."

"Mhmm!" Kaede nodded and accepted the bento box her mother held out, vaulting over the counter and sprinting out the door. "I'll call you when I make it!"

"Don't forget to call your father and tell him the good news! And watch out for the bench we put in-" Serenity sighed as the door dinged shut and there was a distinctive cry of pain as Kaede collided with said bench. "Too much like her uncle, that one."

TTTTTT

_Eschborn, Germany_

The message finished playing, the Egyptian woman vanishing and Verthandi Von Schroeder pushed away from the pool wall to float on her back lazily. "Well, well, it looks like Lero is in over his head with this mess. But that Board of Directors his father put together are like the best cross between sharks and jackals - they sensed a moment of weakness and tore him to shreds. He never stood a chance."

"That seems rather ruthless of you, Verthy." Even with his pink hair streaking silver with age, Siegfried Von Schroeder looked every bit as handsome has he had in his youth. Seated at a table next to the pool, he had seen both message and commercial alongside his daughter. "Lero is your friend and this cannot be easy on him."

"Hmm, but he was deciding based on sentiment towards his father, not out of practicality. And our family knows well what happens when you mix emotion and business in the wrong way, don't we, Papa?" Verthandi smirked as her father made a rather embarrassed noise and made a show of not looking away from his work. "And speaking practicality, SchroederCorp would risk much if I went to duel. Lose and it tarnishes our reputation. Win and we only help KaibaCorp in securing a more _personable _deal with I2."

"That is a narrow scope, Verthy." Her father chided gently. "If Lero loses, I2 will be sold to Yoshito or dismantled. We would lose our exclusive deal with them. And a chance to get our hands on the Bleeding Edge Duel Disks - those would probably be given to Yoshito."

"I suppose…" Verthandi rolled over, paddling over to the edge of the pool. "But what do we stand to gain if we win?"

"A chance to re-negotiate our contract for a more favourable position, perhaps."

"That is something Lero would already do, regardless of the tournament." Verthandi pointed out, resting her chin on her upraised hand. "I will go, of course. But I carry the weight of my family where I go and I must make good on it."

"That can be something done after the tournament." A new voice suggested, both Schroeders looking up to see a middle-aged man in a crisp suit heading towards them. Unlike her father, his hair was already completely gray. "Isn't the phrase 'After crisis, opportunity?'"

"Too true, my teacher." Verthandi agreed and pulled herself from the pool, milk dripping off the ringlets of her pink hair. Accepting a towel from a servant, she began to dry herself. "I am surprised to see you, though. Weren't you off visiting your old school friends?"

"I brought them with me - they're off enjoying the pool that _isn't_ filled with milk." The man offered a wry grin as both Schroeders just looked mock-offended. "It's not my job to judge what you rich people do with yourselves, only to teach you Duel Monsters, Verthy."

"Milk helps keep the skin smooth and free of wrinkles." Verthandi protested as she handed the towel back to the servant. "And before you forgot, my teacher, you are wealthy yourself."

"I'm wealthy like 'I have a private yacht', you're wealthy like 'we have a fleet of yachts'. Bit of a gap there." The man chuckled as Verthandi went sheepish and Siegfried just smile. "Anyway, I just popped in because I heard about this whole Bride Tournament and knew you would duel once I heard that Lero kid is involved. So I wanted to give you this."

"Give me what?" Verthandi asked, watching as the man reached into his suit pocket and produced a deckbox. He passed it to her and she popped the lid, eyes widening when she saw what the cards were. "Teacher, these are -! I cannot accept them!"

"It's not a matter of wanting to accept them or not, it's what the cards want." The man soothed, pushing the deckbox back at her when she tried to foist it into his hands. "You knew this day was coming and they just so decided that was now."

"So destiny smiles on me...but in whether in happiness or to laugh in my face, I do not know." Verthandi took the deckbox with great care and reluctance. "Thank you, my teacher. I am sure this deck will be the edge I need in this tournament."

"Don't worry about it. But you better get going - that message said you were supposed to get there as quick as possible." The man watched as Verthandi bowed to him, gave her father a quick hug and then vanished out the room in a blur.

"I had not expected the day for you to pass destiny into her hands to come so soon," Siegfried said after a moment's silence. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"Never known a decision to be one until after the fact." The other man shook his head. "But I wasn't lying when I said that's what the cards want. And my other source says something big is coming. And she's a part of that."

"I always felt fortune telling was nonsense." Siegfried admitted. "And yet, for Verthy…" He looked after where his daughter had gone. "I'm not sure which is worse - knowing that she has a destiny. Or being able to see the dangerous path leads to that destiny."

"Destiny isn't immutable - it can be changed. I know a man who is living proof of that." His companion assured him. "And you've raised a clever, determined woman. She's capable of handling anything that comes her way."

"But am I? She is my little girl, no matter how big she gets." Seigfried said in a quiet tone and went back to his screen when there was no immediate response. "And Yoshito Decrall...even peripheral involvement with that man can be disastrous."

"Have faith, Siegfried. Verthy isn't just beholden to the whims of fate and change. Not like I was. She has the Rune Eye. And good friends." The man said after a moment's thought.

"Friends. Faced with what we know, it seems like such a weak word." Seigfried said in soft tones. "Her mother-"

"Her mother would have agreed with me. Trust me, friends are more powerful than you think."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

TTTTTT

In the two days since his world fell apart, Lero found enough of himself so he could put himself back together.

It wasn't a laborious process, but it was a painful one. Plato may have been giving him meals and Artemis may have been giving him cuddles, but there wasn't anything they could about his exhausted pain. Lero was tired - tired of struggling, tired of battling the people who were supposed to be helping him and tired of getting screwed over just when things were looking up.

_I'm not even Dad's first adopted son. _The bitter thought made his eyes damp, but he shoved it away. Fifteen years of life, love and devotion had showed him that he was Pegasus' son through and through. There wasn't energy left to play 'what-ifs' with a phantasm long since buried. _Dad even said that kid had some serious issues - the Lucinda family had to put him in a long-term treatment facility after he went ballistic on Dad._

A shower washed the dirt and grime of the last two days off him and even wiped away some aches and shames. The fresh clothes helped bandage the exhaustion and prop him up some. There was still the weight of everything he had to face - the tournament, Yoshito and the entire world watching him bet his and Sumire's entire life on this - and he almost winced every time he considered the fact that failing meant his father's dream would come crashing down around him, but it felt more bearable. Or tolerable, at least. _Eleven days left. I can do a lot more than mope and __be sad__ in eleven days. Yoshito may hold all the cards, but I invented the game._

The thought didn't make much sense, but it was reassuring and gave him the strength enough to unlock and open his bedroom door. And to his surprise, found Sumire seated on one of the couches in his foyer. "How long have you been here?"

"Since dawn." Sumire admitted, putting down the book she had been reading. She stared at her hands in her lap, fingers working over each other. "I owe you an apology. I reacted badly when the tournament announcement came down and I reacted worse to you. I did not consider how hard such news would be on you. And how much stress you were under before I arrived. It was short-sighted of me." She shifted a bit, tentative. "I am sorry."

"Been practicing that one, have you?" Lero chuckled when she just huffed and looked away. "Don't sweat it. I'm not that hurt by it. It's a bad situation for us both, being yanked around like this. And when feelings are high, so are tempers and angry words."

Sumire nodded again, this time going back to looking at her hands. "I understand."

Lero paused, then sighed good-naturedly. "Apology accepted, Sumire."

"Thank you!" Brightening up, the Egyptian woman stood. "Now that we are past this, please come with me? We have guests."

"Guests?" Lero blinked cutely in confusion but did not resist as she took him by the arm. "Since you're still smiling, I assume they're not anyone from Yoshito's side of things."

"No, they are not. They are the duelists who will battle for us." Sumire explained, pulling down the hallway. He could already hear some voices coming from down the way.

"I take it you know that Yoshito got top pick well before the announcement and the Board screwed us over right?" When Sumire made a noise of agreement, Lero continued. "So I hope you found some good duelists. And they know what they're in for. And is that a bruise under your eye?"

Sumire's hand flew reflexively to that eye, a more honest smile touching her lips. "It is. One of our guests and I got into an...altercation. It is okay, however," She added upon seeing Lero's concern. "We broke nothing in the castle and there were no serious wounds."

"That's...not as reassuring as you think it is," Lero pointed out. "What exactly where you fighting over?"

"Pride and duty." Sumire said, smiling again as Lero gave her a confused look. "I will explain later. Or she will, perhaps. But we all agreed I have fulfilled my fiance duty of caring for you by gathering our champions. They will all be very happy to see you are up and about."

Lero was more than curious by now, especially now that they were standing in front of the door and he could definitely hear at least five voices arguing through it. Two them were raised and there were sharp spurts of words in German or Japanese. "Sumire. Just who did you recruit?"

"See for yourself." Sumire told him and swung the door open.

"I'm not saying it's not a good plan, but I don't see why it has to be you!" Lero was surprised to find Jessie standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips and ringlets bouncing with an angry toss of her head. "There are plenty of other rich ladies here."

"Your mother's company is a shipping and transportation company. Whereas I focus my company on game design and production, similar to KaibaCorp." Verthandi responded in an even tone. "If we make the marriage play, it needs to be one that makes sense or the business end of things is going to get very messy."

"You keep forgetting about the public relations, though." Kaede huffed. Seated at the opposite end of the couch of Verthandi, legs tucked under her and waving a glass like a flag as she spoke. "The Internet has already lost its collective shit over this 'Bride Tournament' and has started a small war between the side screaming about women's rights and the fact old white guys wrote those contracts, the side that refuses to believe Sumire is Kaiba's kid and the side that thinks this is just a giant Duel Monsters publicity stunt! Having Lero marry another rich girl will not help that!"

"And if he marries you or Jackie? Then you would come under attack. Not only by the Internet but Yoshito as well. At least SchroederCorp has a PR department and the money to defend against such attempts. You two do not." Verthandi pointed out.

"But SchroederCorp is another gaming company and if he picks you, then KaibaCorp is left in the lurch! And Sumire's still stuck with Yoshito." Jessie argued.

"That's a point-" Kaede scrunched her face up in thought, then snapped her fingers. "Oooh, why not have _Sumire_ marry someone else? That solves the entire problem right there!"

Lero opened his mouth to interject or at least comment on the debate, pausing when he noticed the two other women in the room. Seated off to the side, they were busy with a tea set. "Jackie? Rosemary?"

The masked woman looked up from where she was carefully pouring herself hot water and dunking a tea bag in it. Despite the mask over her face, her obnoxious smile had genuine care in it. "Oh, hey, check it out! Sky horse is finally awake!"

Rosemary's own head lifted, then her teacup was bouncing back into its saucer. "Lero!" Then she was crossing the room in a blur of white hair and almost knocked Lero off his feet with force of her hug. "I am so glad to see you are okay!"

"Glad to see you, too, Rosemary." Lero gasped, surprised by the strength in her hug and gave Sumire a look. The Egyptian woman was smiling in satisfaction as she regarded the room, but it faded a bit when she caught his eye. "Not that I am complaining -we need duelists and I need some friends around. But you realize you kind of solved this problem by you, my fiance, inviting all of my ex-girlfriends to my house?"

"I'm not an ex!"

"You never are, Jessie. You always break-up with them first so they're the 'ex'."

Sumire's brow furrowed in confusion. "I was not aware of the prior romantic connection you all shared." She shrugged it off. "It is in the past. And we are all getting along in the here and now. What is the worst that could happen?"

"Don't say that! Are you trying to jinx it?!"

TTTTTT

_A/N: __There's a saying about trouble between the missus and the ex, but poor Lero could have that multiplied by five. But there 'I' in team and with there still being time before the tournament, Team Lero has to learn to get to know each other. The last calm before the storm. _

_Next Chapter: War Plans_


	6. War Plans

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __This chapter is dedicated to my darling wife, Mei1105, without whom I'd have never gotten over my writer's block on it. So if you're happy to see this chapter, go review her story 'Something Borrowed' as thanks!_

Chapter 6: War Plans

Despite two years of having one-sided conversations with his sleeping father, Lero hated silences. They were often and suffocating and reminded him how small he was in this enormous castle with two other people for company, on this island far out in the middle of the ocean from any other country and how dwarfed he was by the forces inside his own company arrayed against him.

It was worse when he took in the six women seated around his coffee table, all looking at him. Twice now, he had opened his mouth, gestured to start...and faltered back into the silence. His failure seemed to magnify each time, and he finally seated himself into a chair with limp frustration.

"I have brought us up to speed, Lero," Verthandi said after a moment. "And we all know what we're in for. So you do not have to explain yourself to us or apologize. We choose to be here." There was a murmur of assent and nods from the other girls.

"...that's all I had." Lero said with a sigh. "As far as I see it, winning the tournament is the only option where I get a positive net result."

"Could you marry someone else?" Jessie asked, not blinking when the other women all gave her a look. "I know we shot down this idea originally because it turns out you and Sumire are already technically married, but I remember something my mom mentioned once. Duelist Kingdom's a micronation and one law Pegasus wrote for it allows for polygamy."

Lero winced as they shifted the attention back to him and Jackie laughed. "Wow, really? Geeze, Sky Horse, what was your dad on?"

"Don't get me started on my father; he's the reason I'm in this mess." Lero said, lips curling into a frown. "And I get where you're going, Jessie, but it won't negate anything."

"I don't get where she's going, I don't do this kind of business and legal stuff." Kaede said. "How does marrying another one of us help Lero? That means he has two wives."

"It also means that Japan, which does not recognize multiple marriages and has treaties with Duelist Kingdom, would 'force' Lero to pick which marriage he wanted them to recognize as legal outside Duelist Kingdom." Sumire explained. She was the only one woman standing, leaning on Lero's desk opposite his chair. "So he could pick the marriage not to me. But that would only work if our marriage was not a legal, contract in the Japanese courts - a second legal marriage doesn't resolve the contractual issues between KaibaCorp, Ironwrought Industries and I2."

"Oh, right." Jessie frowned a bit and snapped her fingers. "Why not have Sumire marry one of us? Like Kaede said earlier?"

"Same result - Japan wouldn't recognize the new marriage because the legalities of her 'first' marriages to Yoshito and I haven't been resolved. The world might get behind it, but even the Internet can't stop a genuine legal entanglement and process." Lero sighed. "I know Yoshito would pressure the Japanese government into attacking the Kaiba family for all the stuff they've pulled over the years and breach of contract if she did, anyway. Claim it was a publicity stunt meant to discredit him. Things like that. Anything to mire them in legality and hobble them."

"Can he really do that?" Kaede wanted to know, half-raising her hand. "I mean, all the stuff that Kaiba did that was illegal or whatever was decades ago."

"He pressured the government into creating this tournament, so I don't doubt it." The Pegasus heir sagged in his chair, as if all the failed answers were a physical weight piling on to him. "And he'd go after I2. With the Board's help, he'd could perform a hostile takeover. Or at the very least, ruin my reputation, my life and bury me in propaganda and lies."

"That won't happen, Lero." Rosemary said with quiet assuredness. "We won't let that happen - we can fight this."

"Speaking of which, Sky Horse." Jackie leaned her, dark eyes stark against the white of her mask. "We're dueling and I'm betting these Pros got access to your new card game stuff. We will, too, but you have production control, right? Why not print us a bunch of instant wins or copies of Exodia?"

"That's in the 'rules' the Japanese government set for the tournament. It has to be fair duels. I can't stack the deck, literally or otherwise." Lero said with a touch of bitterness. "Or at least, I can't now since they beat me to the punch on it."

"You're telling me," Jessie folded her arms with a grunt of annoyance. "This whole thing is a nightmare."

"So it all comes back to the tournament," Verthy put in with a touch of resigned respectfulness. "This Yoshito plays a ruthless game very well. He is a formidable opponent."

"So in thirteen days we have to kick some Pro League ass and send this Yoshito jackass back under his rock." Jackie shrugged. "What'll we do till then?"

"Learn the new mechanics. And practice." Rosemary gave her a look of irritation. "."

"Yeah, but we can't be doing that twenty-four/seven."

"Speak for yourself," Jessie muttered with a touch of pride. "I can go all night."

Raymon coughed at his girlfriend's rather bald declaration.

"Meanwhile, I'm going to do some digging into our opponent and his team," Kaede said, pulling a laptop out of the ether, and settling herself in for several hours of focused research.

Lero blinked. "Well you all seem to have bases covered...what should I do?" He sighed as his watch beeped as if in answer and he checked the screen. "Oh, I know. Catching up on the two days of work running my massive expensive corporation I missed." He stood and managed a smile. "Thank you, everyone, for coming. I'm sorry I'm not being a better host. I'll see you all for dinner."

He left, leaving the others in the room staring at the space he had been in.

"Well, that really drives the point home." Jackie grunted, slumping back in her hair. "I've seen better painted on smiles on clowns."

"Yeah…" Raymon said, a frown on his face. "W

e should get him some help."

"I think nothing will help until we resolve this problem." Verthandi said, her hands laced on her lap. "He would be more comfortable receiving help, because Lero isn't the kind person to relax when he could work to fix whatever is bothering him."

"We should just rock up to Yoshito and hold him down so Lero can kick the smug out of him - and his teeth!" Jessie huffed, calming a bit as Raymon put a gentle hand on her arm. "Yeah, yeah, I know...not really practical."

"There's got to be something else we can do besides duel," Kaede had paused in her typing to look up at the group. "Like a party? Movie night? Game night?...bikini car wash?"

She cocked her head as the other women looked at her. "Oh, right there's no car here…." She nodded as an idea popped into her head. "Bikini Blue-Eyes Jet Wash!"

"And all of us covered in suds and bikinis in soft-core porn will help Lero?" Jackie watched as Kaede nodded again. She laughed, clapping her hands. "I suppose that's one way to get endorphins rolling! I like you, fireball!"

Sumire cleared her throat. "In that vein, I have something to say that may open some paths to helping Bellerophon cope. You are all aware that legally, I am Bellerophon's wife."

When the rest of them gave her their attention, she continued. "However, that is only on paper. I do not know him well enough to provide any kind of reasonable emotional support or stability. And many of you are still single and I wanted you to know that I do not care nor do I consider it 'cheating' if you wish to date, sleep with or invest yourself in Bellerophon. In fact, I encourage you to do it, so that he can find someone who he can be close with. If the media catches wind of this, I will tell them the same thing and give you my full support. If you want children, however, that will have be discussed by the three of us and proper paperwork arranged."

She clasped her hands in front of her, confused by the surprised and awkward looks she was getting from four of the five other women in the room. Only Jessie was face-palming. "That is all."

"I...okay, Sumire, hun, I get _why_ you're feeling the need to tell us that if they all want to be with Lero again, they can." Jessie said with a kind of friendly, exasperated sigh. "But you couldn't have told us in private? Or at least not make a declaration out of it?"

"No. It is a waste of time to do this one-on-one and I dislike anyone being unclear where anyone else stands on this matter. Myself in particular." The Eygptian woman said. "We all must be at our best to deal with Yoshito and his schemes and that includes Bellerophon."

"...did you tell Lero about this little announcement?" Rosemary said, everyone in the room blinking at the amount of frost on her voice.

"Not in the same way, no. He and I have had this discussion the day after I arrived." Sumire seemed confused by the amount of glare the British woman was giving him.

"Don't you think that this should have been something you both said together? Paper or not, you're still married, and it's still a business partnership. Yet talking like that…" Rosemary's fingers dug into her upper arms. "Says you don't respect him at all."

Sumire's face clouded. "I respect Bellerophon and I am very aware of the situation he is in and how isolated he is feeling."

"So maybe you should attempt to be a supportive friend, instead of handing him out so casually!" Rosemary took a sharp step forwards, Kaede yanking her feet off the floor to avoid them getting trod on. "He is not just a problem you can fix with a little logic to absolve your guilt and wash your hands of!"

"I do not recall asking your permission." Sumire's said, frost on her own tone. "If you keep being aggressive towards me, Rosemary Bakura, I will-"

"You'll what? You'll what?" Rosemary was right in front of Sumire now, matching glares. "What will you do?"

"Leave my personal space." The Eygptian woman's purple eyes were dark. "Now."

"Not until you stop ignoring Lero and treating him like a thing instead of your husband because you don't know what it is to have a human connection!"

Kaede was holding her laptop like a shield and Raymon half-way in front of Jessie who was trying to shove him aside to get between the other two girls. Verthy was just watching, expression flat and careful.

"Ahem." Plato's voice and presence materialized in the room like magic, the manservant placing a gentle - but firm - hand on Sumire's and Rosemary's shoulders. "To keep peace in this home and not destroying anymore property, would the ladies like to take this outside? There's a sparring mat we can put in one courtyard. And have a best-of-three instead of free-for-all."

There was something about him that said this idea was not a suggestion and more of an order, but everyone else got the impression that Rosemary and Sumire would have agreed, anyway.

"This is acceptable." Sumire said.

"It'll be short and sweet." Rosemary agreed.

All three vanished out the door, Plato careful to keep them separated and left only the tension behind.

Which Verthandi broke with a clap of her hands. "Well, while I am no stranger to violence, I must profess I do not love it. I believe I will go to see if I can assist Lero with his work and try to renegotiate his deal with SchroderCorp without having to go with that detestable Board." Then she was on her feet and out the door in an almost regal swirl of her dress.

Jackie and Jessie exchanged looks, then just about crashed into each other as they bolted out the door.

Raymon blinked. "What is it about this place that drives these women crazy?"

TTTTTTT

"How are you doing?"

Lero could feel Verthandi's concerned gaze digging into the back of his head, but only shrugged in response as he stared out at the courtyard where Sumire and Rosemary were fighting. "As we can hope best in these circumstances, I suppose. I haven't broken down and cried in, oh, five hours? It's a

record."

Now the concerned contained the lilting hint of a disapproving frown. "Your flippant disregard for your own well-being is more-than-worrying and less-than-appreciated, Lero."

"I'm stressed, strained, fearful and trying not to panic. If I don't laugh and force a smile to get some endorphins going, I'm going to go back to hiding in my room."

"'Fake it till you make it' is not an English idiom that should be taken literally, Lero," Verthy said. "You need to some genuine happiness or I fear this mess will leave you a wreck even if we win the tournament."

"If we win the tournament, I'll be happy that this whole mess is over," Lero countered with a sigh. "At least until we have to deal with the actual marriage, the public response and trying to kick out the Board while trying to find replacements who don't want to stab me in the back."

"All the more reason to find something to relax now."

"Open to suggestions."

The pink-haired woman rested her cheek in her hand, watching as Lero fiddled with books, pulling them out in half-hearted effort, then shelving them without even checking them. "You used to always be working on your writing. How has that been progressing?"

"It hasn't been. I haven't touched it in almost two years. Just haven't been in the right headspace. Or had the energy." Lero shrugged. "Might never have it again.

He sounded so blandly certain about that, it brought a frown to Verthy's lips. "I should hate for it to be so. It was very good. Why not tell me where you left off?" When there was no response, she continued. "Your Transformers collection? Have you collected any new and interesting pieces? you must have a story there."

"Most of it's in storage. Needed the space for work materials."

Verthy pursed her lips, tapping a finger on her cheek while blue eyes tracked him as he switched to another bookshelf. "Then how about your cosplay? Perhaps changing your appearance from stressing business to something more relaxing and fun will shake you of your doldrums."

Lero managed a chuckle. "I don't copslay, _you _cosplay. I just wound up being your unwilling dummy and partner-in-crime against fashion."

"Ah-ah." Verthy wagged a finger at him. "You wore the costume - that makes you the cosplayer. The hows and the ways are irrelevant."

"Funny how I never got to keep the costumes."

"Again, that failing falls upon you, Lero. You could have just walked away wearing them, but you insisted on just changing back into the drab things you came in with." Verthy said airily. "You really have no other hobbies? Has work consumed your life to such a degree that you have no time for fun any longer?"

"Maybe you should ask Plato - he keeps my schedule." Lero turned to face her, leaning against the bookshelf and folding his arms. "And what do you mean 'walk away'? I could never keep the things on for over ten minutes before you started stripping me down."

The German just smiled, twirling one of her ringlets around her finger. "What can I say? Seeing you look so magnificent in my creations is...intoxicating for a lady like myself. My own success at creating costumes and raising you to the upper echelons of class by drawing out your handsomeness was overwhelming - and I happily let myself get carried away."

"'Drawing out my handsomeness' - you sound like my dad." Lero shook his head. "You can cut the flowery guff, Verthy. I'm not ugly, but the only reason I'm handsome is because me and money are a package deal." When she raised an eyebrow at him, he scoffed. "C'mon - if I wasn't Pegasus' kid, would you have ever given me a second look?"

"That is a question made in bad faith, Lero. There are far too many variables for that kind of situation." Verthy said after a moment's study of him. "And if you need proof you are attractive, you need look no further than out your window. Out of the four woman in the courtyard, you've slept with three of them. And they all came back for more."

"It's only two - I haven't slept with Jessie. Or Sumire." Lero corrected her. "Jessie and I could never get a spark going, it's why we only dated for like a week. She's too...out there and I'm...not." He shrugged. "And yeah, that was when we were teenagers and we're adults now, but she's taken. Not interested."

"And what about her cousin, Kaede?" Verthy leaned forwards a bit, chin propped up on her hand as she eyed him. "I would wager you haven't - the daughter of Yugi Mouto and the son of Pegasus getting together would have been quite the news item."

"Which is why we didn't. Had fun dates, though - she doesn't look it, but Kaede has a thing for classical dance. We got third in a competitive waltz, if you can believe it."

"Truly? That stirs creative urges in me - I would like to see how she looks in some new ballgowns…" Verthy glanced around the room, as if expecting the redhead to pop-up out of nowhere and then sighed. "Three women here do not want to sleep with you - but three still do. If there is guilt, Sumire has clearly made her stance clear and is insisting you do the same. Your paper marriage is nothing more than that."

"I'd be careful speaking for Jackie like that," Lero warned with a small grin. "She might lasso you with a chain and drag you behind her bike."

"Is that what attracted you to her in the first place? Her wild, untameable spirit?" Verthy's eyes sparked with curiosity. "The cliche is women like to fix bad men - did you wish for the inverse to be true, too?"

"Jackie doesn't need fixing. She's rough around the edges...and can out-drink anyone I know...and works part-time as a Duel Hit woman...but she doesn't need fixing." Lero said. "She won a chance to meet Dad through a tournament. It was impressive stuff - they hired her as an Eliminator, weed out the competition and stuff. But she was so good at with and played her 'Straightjacket' persona so well, a bunch of people wound up quitting in fear and the rest panicked and tried to take her down in like a three-on-one."

"And she was victorious?" Verthy looked impressed. "That is no mean feat, even for Pro Duelists."

"Oh, she won, just not in the way you thought. She did this crazy thing with her stage make-up and the light wavelengths from the holo-emitters; turned herself into a zombie and one guy passed out from fear. Just amazing, ask her about it. I only heard it about it second-hand." Lero wasn't looking at her, smiling at the memory. "Anyway, Dad brought me along and we kind of hit it off - she was busy with modeling clay while we were talking and she made this awesome headpiece of a character I was describing."

Verthy smiled, her heart warm at how sweet that sounded. "She sounds like quite the woman. Why did it end?"

Lero's smile dropped as fast as it came. "We wanted different things. And are from two different worlds. And they didn't mesh well. I….she...we…" He held out his hands, helpless. "We'd fall apart trying to hold it together. Does that make sense?"

"It does and you need not explain further - that is between you and her." Verthy assured him. "And now we reach dear Rosemary. I wasn't aware of the intensity which she regarded you. The whole reason they're outside now is that she looked ready to start a fight over Sumire's handling of this business marriage."

Lero's face grew tense. "Sumire's got some issues with dealing with people and as new and frustrating as this all is for me, it has to be worse for her. Rosemary...yeah, that sounds about right. She's got herself convinced that she ruined my life, so being my white-haired knight will help her fix her guilt. But it won't." He rubbed at his right forearm through his sleeve. "And it won't fix my curse."

"Ah, this mysterious curse that everyone seems to know nothing about but all know it exists." Verthy intoned with a shake of her head. "You need to tell us about that, if only for your sake, Lero. We can't help you if we know nothing."

"It's a curse, Verthy, you can't do anything about it. Except break it and no one knows how to do that." Lero said shortly. "And that would destroy Rosemary - she blames herself for her and if it was made public, even to just us, she wouldn't take it well at all."

Verthy made a noise of agreement. "Rosemary has said much the same, through her quietness as much as her words. I have no desire to hurt either of you by pressing the issue, but at the very least, please make some time for her, Lero. Seeing you in this state has done none of us good, but least of all her."

"I know, I know. I promise, I'll try and fight this," Lero nodded at her. "I mean, here I am talking to an ex-lover who has a keen interest in all my other ex-lovers and trying to get me to sleep with them. That'd make most men freeze in panic, but I'm still standing."

"I am curious because I want to know your friends and understand them. And if they are ex-lovers, then that is something I am more curious about. I dated you most recently and these women shaped the Lero me got." Verthy smiled at him, the expression warm. "They did a wonderful job, helping you put to practice all those gentlemen lessons your father gave you."

Lero chuckled. "Don't upsell them too much. Jackie showed me how to cheat a like six different games and how to survive a bar fight and Kaede taught me card counting. And if I was a gentleman with you, Verthy, it was because you radiate such opulent class and taste I couldn't help myself."

"I see your silver tongue hasn't abandoned you in two years, you flatterer." The German woman went pink at the compliment, gesturing at him. "And as we have arrived at me, please, tell me about us and why we broke."

"Because we both had companies to run and lived on opposite sides of the world?" Lero offered, waving a hand. "I mean, in two-and-a-half years together, we saw each other what? Six times? Eight? Ten?"

"But they were meetings of great length - weeks and months, not hours and days," She fired back and then sighed in reluctant agreement. "But the demands of our lives were increasing and something had to give. Which was us, to my sadness."

"Yeah," Lero nodded once. "Then Dad had his accident and then the coma and the Board…" He hung his head, the happiness that had been buoying him escaping like he was a punctured balloon. "Which leads us right back to where we started. I'm caught between a rock and a hard place, my one lifeline is a noose and in less than two weeks, I'm going to swim to Domino with not even the clothes on my back."

"You most certainly will not be." Verthy informed him, tone sharp. "Because we will win this tournament."

"So what if we do?" Lero scoffed. "I could fire the Board, but I2 would fall apart like a house of cards. I don't have near enough experience to run it by myself and replacements I got would probably just be as bad or worse than the ones I have. Meaning I have to keep them around and then they'll just make my life hell or boot me out."

"Then you can live with me," Verthy said, speaking with a firm but gentle kindness. "We are all here to help you, Lero and this defeatist attitude is not. Please let it go."

He looked at her, a dark frown on his face. "That's easy for you to say. If I lose, I lose everything. You lose a duel, you get a slap in the pride. Maybe."

"So Your loss would not pain me and the rest of your friends? We would not share in your grief and rage against Yoshito? We would not do our best to help you pick up the pieces?" Verthy asked.

Lero's expression fell, and he looked away - anywhere that was away from her face. He had no more words, but from the thickening tension in the room, he knew Verthy was reading his mind at this point.

_No, I don't think you would. Because I'm not worth that._

So it was to his surprise when her arm looped itself through his and she tugged him away from his desk. "I'll try to beat you in the face with this, Lero. It won't do either of us any good. So let's do something else. Take a walk with me around the castle? Let us find something else to dwell on." She gave him a mysterious smile, and he swore he saw some kind of marking flash in her blue eyes. "I have a hunch that something good will come of it."

Then she was tugging him along before he could protest.

TTTTTTT

"So….why the mask?"

"So why the cleavage?"

Jessie cocked her head, more curious than hurt. "That was an impressive amount of snark."

"It was also rather rude," Raymon said from the blonde's other side, a frown on his face. "She was just asking a question."

Jackie didn't look away from where Sumire and Rosemary were trying to out-grapple each other on the mat. "So was I."

"Jessie's question was just about trying to make conversation and get to know you." Raymon responded.

The biker tapped a finger on her mask's edge. "Blondie was asking about something obvious and apparent because she was too polite to ask more direct questions." The finger switched to pointing at Jessie's cleavage. "And I can do that, too."

Raymon flushed, still scowling even as Jessie patted his arm in sympathy. "Let's see if you can answer it, then. I got the cleavage because I like rockin' it and didn't pack for modesty on my vacation before I came here." She lifted an eyebrow in expectation.

"I got the mask because my face sends small children running away screaming, makes grown men vomit and makes me punch mirrors." Jackie's gaze flicked over as both Raymon and Jessie stiffened in surprise. "And don't say it can be that bad. Or I'll take it off and you'll vomit all over your sandals."

"...kay." Jessie said after a moment. "So what's your deck?"

Jackie's lips quirked. "Doesn't the professional known better than to just ask that? There's only one real way to learn it."

"That's true. And I should warm-up for the tournament," Jessie agreed, a smirk spreading on her own face. "A few victories should do."

"You won't get one from me, blondie. Just the most terrifying loss." Jackie held up an arm to display the tattered straitjacket she wore. "There's a reason most of my opponents end up in these."

"And here I was thinking they were for _off_ the dueling field." Jessie's grin sharpened as Jackie gave her a fresh look. "I'm a Pro, hun. Trash talk is my second language."

Raymon looked like he was trying not to sigh. "Not another duel, Jessie. You already tried it with Sumire, then Rosemary when you learned Sumire didn't duel and even went after Plato!"

"Hey, _he _deserved it! The man kept passive-aggressively snarking at me! Not my fault he woke a lioness!"

"More like a grumpy bear and you did just rip those curtains…"

The argument was broken as with exhausted gasps and groans, Sumire and Rosemary disengaged from each other and lumbered to their feet. The Eygptian woman looked pleased, despite her lack of smile. "You are stronger than you look. If you duel as well as you fight, it is a guaranteed victory for us."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Rosemary wiped some sweat-soaked hair out of her eyes. "Lero needs a win and I will give him one."

Sumire just nodded. "So I pass?"

The British woman frowned. "Pass what?"

"Your test. You clearly have feelings for Bellerophon and are upset that I am engaged to him, thus you challenged me to see if I could match the expectations you set for anyone is close to him." Sumire said, folding her arms. "So do I pass?"

Rosemary just stared at her, expression hard. "I'm going to go shower now." Then she turned on her heel, marching into the castle like she was a compressed spring.

Jessie groaned as Sumire gave them all a confused look. "Okay, just because you can perceive something like that doesn't mean it's something you should just out and out say."

"Those feelings would have to be confronted eventually and sooner is preferable. And if she and I are honest with each other, then it will be easier to reconcile them. she knows I have no romantic interest or investment in Bellerophon and she is still free to pursue him."

Jackie laughed as Jessie sighed deeper. "She's not wrong, you know."

"I did not think I was." Sumire said. "Though I sense I have erred and must apologize to Rosemary."

"I wouldn't." Jackie shook her head. "She's got a lot of frustration and it's all aimed at you. Trying to apologize will just get you punched."

"You punched me after I explained who I was and why I was here and I survived."

"Yeah, but I was punching you on principle on how you screwed Lero over with your own screw-over." The masked woman gestured in the direction Rosemary had gone. "She's jealous and hurting and you're the source."

"Meaning she is a danger to me?" Sumire looked confused at this possibility.

"Yes, hun, she is."

TTTTTTT

Verthy's walk around the castle was a quiet one. She'd been over often enough to know everything of interest and Lero himself did not have any interest in expositing anything that caught her eye.

But it was also enjoyable because of that quietness. It was hard to focus on the pain and frustration when the soft scents of milk and vanilla would tickle his nose as Verthy leaned against him or the warmth in her grip as she pulled down this way or that to look at all the art his father had slapped up and down the castle corridors. The SchroederCorp heir was like a tiny sun, brightening everything as she went and there, casting warmth with just a few words and gestures and breathing some life back into the castle itself.

_Or maybe Dad and I share a melodramatic streak. _Lero thought as he watched Verthy examine an Impressionist painting his father had done. _I think Dad would be tickled pink to see me with all the girls around. __Always__ insisted I make as many friends as possible._

At the very least, the elder Pegasus would have already come up with some group activities to bond them with and a few wine spritzers into that, would finagle to set up a dance somehow so his son could go through all his potential partners. Maybe even a glass slipper. _Big on classical romance, that man. _

Not that his current 'romance' was anything of the sort. One fiance on paper, a bunch of ex-girlfriends and Lero was still alone in the crowd of people. And he wasn't sure how to feel over Sumire's proclamation. _It's coming from the right place and it is a good thing she gave permission, just to cover bases. But still...it makes me sound like I'm desperate for a booty call. _

But sex felt like too much effort right now - he had nothing spare to fantasize or push for something like that and it was just so much physical effort for a temporary gain. And it was an insult to the girls to just ask for that, even if he was sure any of them would reciprocate. _They're here to help me in a professional capacity. So I need to keep it that way. _

_And what if one of them offers? _A small voice in his head asked. _Would you refuse it because you're taking the moral high road, insulting their courage and feelings? Or because you're afraid you'd disappoint them with your performance?_

Lero tried not to think about how the answers to those questions were leaning far too hard to 'yes'.

"Ah, Rosemary! How fortuitous!"

Verthy's pleased tone and clap of her hands snapped him out his own thoughts. Somehow, their walking tour had taken them to the guest corridor of the castle and straight into Rosemary. The British woman looked showered and professional in the casual dress clothing that Lero suspected was so high end, it was setting the bar.

And Rosemary was looking surprised as Verthy clutched her hand. "I have lost track of the time, my dear and must go call my father to catch-up. Time difference and all that nonsense. So if you would be so kind as to take over assisting Lero?"

Then she was gently pushing the white-haired woman towards Lero and somehow pulling Lero towards her at the same time. "Thank you ever so much! Ta-ta, darlings! Please do not stay out too late!"

"Verthy- you -what- how…" Lero watched as Verthy vanished around the corner with that same mysterious smile and then shifted his attention to an confused Rosemary. "Uhhh...hi."

"Hi." Rosemary blinked at him. "What am I helping you with?"

"Nothing. I was taking a walk." Lero looked her up and down. "Why did you shower at five in the afternoon?"

Rosemary's face soured. "Your 'wife' informed us all if we wanted to be with you, we could and I took offense to the idea she could do that so so she didn't have to deal with your feelings. So I challenged her to a fight."

"Oh. That's nice of you." The polite response was the only thing Lero could think of to say. "Did you win?"

"No." Rosemary's tone soured now, too. "We got locked in grappling and it wound up being a draw."

"Lemme guess - she did that thing were she reads your mind and hit the nail on the head as to your motivations?" When Rosemary flushed and looked away, Lero just nodded. "Yeah, for a woman who's got some issues in the personal interactions department, she's got a really sharp mind."

Rosemary just grunted, and he took that as a cue to move things along. "Well, Verthy and I just finished exploring the castle, so want to come explore the grounds with me?"

She nodded, and the two began their walk. They were almost to the bottom of the steps when Rosemary spoke again. "Why aren't you mad she did that, Lero?"

Lero pursed his lips. "I know you think I should, but this marriage business really is only paper. It's a contract. And Sumire clearly isn't ready to give or receive the emotional baggage involved with making a genuine marriage work. Neither am I, if I'm honest. She's trying to help and given how bad things have gotten in the last week, I'm sure she thinks the best way to help is to be as hands off as possible."

Seeing Rosemary give him a side-long look, he shrugged. "Hey, I'm irked she did it like that and didn't ask me to make it a joint announcement but I think that's just how she is."

"So she's blind as well as arrogant." Rosemary muttered, not low enough for him not to hear. "She's married, and she doesn't think it means something."

"She's also married to Yoshito, too and there's a very real chance of that marriage becoming the 'legal' one. And that man has already shown himself to be a bully, a manipulator and very dangerous. I don't think she wants that marriage to mean anything, either." Lero said as a quiet reminder and still felt bad when Rosemary sighed and glanced down.

The grass gave way to the soft sand as they ambled down to one beach. "Can I ask something thatwill probably piss you off?"

"You can't make me any more cross, Lero."

He chuckled and held up a hand when she lifted an eyebrow. "Hey, that's just a very British thing to say!" When she lowered the eyebrow, he paused, drawing his words together. "Are you angry that Sumire opened the door on Lero season like that? Or that you needed her 'permission' to go hunting?"

Rosemary stopped dead, staring at him with an expression he couldn't quite place. Not angry, not quite hurt, not quite confused. It was like all three existed in a quantum flux, layered on her face all at once. Then the waveform of her struggle collapsed and so did she, sitting down on a large boulder with a frustrated sob. "Bloody hell, Lero! What is wrong with you!?"

"I...but you said I could ask…" Lero felt all his skills and years of lessons about people wilt away. _Why did Dad not include a lesson or ten on dealing with crying women? _An image of his father's dead wife flashed in his head. _Oh...right…_

"Yes, but you're not supposed to just go right for the heart! Maybe you and that Egyptian bitch are supposed to be married! You both have no tact!" Rosemary shot him a watery glare and then slammed an angry fist on the boulder. "Or maybe I'm just a freaking coward!"

"Whoa, hey, no." Lero seated himself next to her, catching her fist before she could break those delicate fingers on the hard rock. "You are not a coward, okay? You've done some amazing stuff in your life, being a model and everything. And you dropped everything to come out here and duel on my behalf. Risking your career. Being a potential target for the Internet's mindless hate. That's not the actions of a coward."

"Then why am I the last person to know I want you again? Amane keeps telling me to ignore you because you're bad for my career and I just thought she was hating on my friend! And Verthy has to know! She's known me as long as you have and I know she didn't push us together out here by chance! Sumire figured it out just by fighting me!" Rosemary's fists were almost as white as her hair. "And I don't know how long you've known!"

"I...don't have a timeline for that. I just...did?" Lero knew his offering was feeble, but it got her to stop clenching her fists and start wiping away tears. "We've always been close, Rosemary. You're my best friend. And it's not like our break-up was fun - your mother turned it into a media circus and just kept us apart! We didn't even tell each other we were breaking up!"

"Don't call her my mother!" Rosemary hiccuped. "If you knew, why didn't you say anything?!"

"Same reason you didn't - it felt like more of a problem than a solution." It surprised Lero at those words and how truthful they were. But they seemed to be what Rosemary needed to hear and her sobs quieted a bit. _At least some part of me still works. _

"It's not fair, Lero. It's not." She said after two minutes wiping at her face and Lero hunting for tissues in his pocket. "You deserve to be happy after all the shit you've put up with… and getting married, being married is _supposed_ to make you happy! And all it's done is make your life a nightmare!"

Lero had no words for this one, but Rosemary seemed to have enough for both. "I hate it. I hate that you can't be happy. That someone has to tell you you're allowed to be happy with another person. I hate Sumire for not trying to make you happy. And - look - I know she got us all here and everything, but that's not the point!"

She grabbed Lero's hand in both her own, playing with his fingers. "You're a person, not your company. Logic and spreadsheets won't make you happy that way. She can't make you happy just by earning you money!"

"Rosemary." Lero had to dredge up some willpower for what he was about to say. The urge was there to let her continue, to just go back and forth like emotional ping pong, but that was for teenagers. And they were adults. "If you want to be together, just say so. I wouldn't mind being together with you. But…"

"But…?"

"I know there're some issues with my curse and everything. And Amane wouldn't approve of us." His heart fell when her did, but he kept going. "I don't want a relationship that's driven by the two of us trying to make each feel less guilty. Or as an escape from everything."

"I know, I know, I know…" Her words had an ache in them that was the best example of a 'painful truth' he'd ever heard. "And I will not say I want you. Not like this. I'm not…"

"Stable? Presentable? Missing a cup of tea?"

It was stupid, but it got him a flat look and a punch in the arm. "I'm not that stupid, I was saying. And you're not in the best place yourself. Just...I'll think on it...and get back to you….okay?"

"Okay." Lero said with a nod.

Rosemary let out a tight breath. "Okay." She stared out over the ocean, the blue waters soaked in the fading colors of the sunset and twisting towards the black of night time. She let out another breath and then leaned heavily into his side, her head on his shoulder. "Okay?"

Lero wrapped his arm around her side, cheek against the thick softness of her white hair. "Okay."

"Okay…" She was smiling now, her hand over his. "We're...okay."

Now he was smiling. "Okay." His cheek got him a poke in the side.

A sudden gust of cold wind made them both shudder and Lero pressed closer to her, frowning. _Why is it so cold? It's the middle of summer-_

There was another cold gust of wind and this time, the ocean surf crashed against the shoreline. The process repeated itself and then there was a subtle shift in the sunset's light on the water's surface as a shadow bloomed in the center. "What on earth-"

Rosemary noticed it too, her hand gripping his, and they both shot to their feet as the water split into smaller crashing waves as metal began to breach the surface. "Is that an arena

?!"

"Yeah, but...they should be offline!" Lero gaped as the arena's powerful hydraulics lifted it free of the ocean like a new island being birthed by an erupting volcano. Water sluiced off the sides in sheets, steam billowing off the contraption as built-in heaters evaporated the lingering puddles.

He was raising his watch to call Plato and find out what the hell was going on when Rosemary seized his arm in a panicked grip and pointed at the arena. "Lero! Look! The shadows!"

"Shadows-? What are you-" Lero followed her finger and felt his heart sink as the heat fled his body. The steam from the arena was lingering far too long, darkening and twisting into a dense coal-colored fog that flashed with sick purple in its depths. "A...Darkness Game? Here!?"

"We need to go!" Rosemary was already pulling him up onto the boulder, the path they had come blocked by the expanding fog. Her expression was tight, on the verge between panic and control. "Now!"

Lero was following her, only for them both to freeze as the fog came to life, lashing up in front of them like flames to form a wall. And as the noises from the steam cleaning and machinery quieting down, a voice reached their ears.

_"Rosie, Rosie, your blood's not pure.  
For your sins, pain is what you'll endure.  
Mary, Mary, don't be so contrary.  
__I promise your death won't be scary."_

_That voice - no, no, no…! _Lero felt his heart lurch in fear, dread like ice in his veins. _He's dead! I beat him! He's DEAD!_

Then why was he singing that same song again?

The internal debate cost him - Rosemary screamed as the shadows coiled around her and yanked her off the boulder. They whipped her through the air like a dog playing with a treat, dangling her over the ocean near the platform. Lero was already down the rock, across the beach and onto the arena. "No!"

Shadows hissed and cracked, driving him away from her and a taunting laugh echoed. "That's against the rules, Lero! You can't claim the prize until you win!" The laughter trailed off, bitter and amused. "At least the darkness is fair...unlike the rest of the world."

"What do you-" Lero broke off as he felt a weight in his hand. A deck of Duel Monsters cards that hadn't been there a moment before. _His _deck.

His heart lurched again as he remembered the duel against Panik just days ago and through that, the roar of flames and laughter mingling with a suspended Rosemary's screams. _This is just like ten years ago…_

Lero leapt onto the platform, almost tumbling off the other side as it shot up before his feet could find his balance. It locked into place and he fell forwards against the dueling console, glaring at the shrouded figure across the way. "I don't know who you think you are, but you're dealing with forces you can't control!"

"No, I never control them...they control me…" The voice said, as if half to himself. "Always, always is there darkness...in my heart, in my mind, in my soul...A hollow vessel am I…" The words grew stronger, more confident. "Yes...I remember...that's the truth. Everyone of us is a vessel for evil. It's our curse."

Lero tried to fight the fear, the trembling in his hands, the tension in his shoulders. But he couldn't. Not when he knew who that voice was.

He made his eyes move to Rosemary. Her face was almost as white as her hair, to the point she was blue down to her lips. She twisted and yanked against her imprisonment, but the shadows had just enough give to give her false hope and that was it.

He wondered, in a distant part of his mind, why she wasn't screaming. How could she not be when Lero could feel his own panic roaring in his chest, clamoring to get out and only the death grip on the console kept him from unleashing it.

Maybe it was because she was too scared even for screaming.

Maybe it was because she knew what would happen if she got the shrouded figure's attention.

"It's okay to be afraid. It's only right to be afraid of monsters like us." The voice attempted to soothe in what was supposed to gentle tones, but carried too much sinister passion. "We'll make the fear stop...together!"

Lero jerked his head away from Rosemary to look at his opponent. The shadows were sloughing off, revealing a man. His face was gaunt and haggard, playboy handsomeness swallowed by a ruthless intensity that made his eyes shine with cold joy. His hair was equally ruined into a dark parody of itself. The fullness and soft length had become thin and brittle, grayed with dirty and other things so that compared to Rosemary's white curtain, his was frozen sheets of ugly sleet.

Every movement his skeletal frame, every breath that lead into a half-smile as if them were frustrated that he was still alive, every shift of those baggy clothes stained with ink and blood that hid nothing of the monster that wore them, made Lero's stomach twist into a knot of fear and worry. It was like a textbook example of an insane, gibbering old man who'd see too far into the hidden nature of things and decided that rationality was a hindrance to him.

But this man was rational, was sane, and that made him even more frightening. Rosemary's thrashing's stopped as he lifted his head, cocking it at her like she as a fly caught in a web and he'd only just remembered that he was the spider. "Oh, Rosie, Rosie… my little Miss Mary…"

"You're dead! You're dead! You're dead!" Rosemary said the words as if they were a spell to banish the nightmare she was in. And maybe they did, when the nightmare was in her head.

But now the nightmare was real again.

_Then...I'll just win again!_ Lero slammed his hand onto the console to get the man's attention. "Eyes over here, Ryou! You clearly want to duel, so why don't we get started?"

"Oh, yes. But I thought we already had…" Ryou's voice was polite, as if he were explaining to Lero something he should already know and just didn't want to offend. But the smile that showed too-white teeth was nothing resembling politeness. Only madness. "Ten years ago. I was trying to kill my niece and you very rudely interrupted me."

The smile widened, the shadows deepened, and a pall fell across the arena as the darkness blotted out the last of the stars above. "So this time, this time - I'll be killing you both!"

TTTTTT

_A/N: __Apologies again for how long this one took to get out - __NaNoWriMo__ got in the way and then work and then Christmas season. But expect updates to resume regularly. (Hopefully!)_

_Next Chapter: Lero duels for his and Rosemary's life against an opponent that no one has expected, with a deck that no one expected. The reason for Lero's curse is revealed and secrets about the Bakura family crawl their way out of the darkness!_

_See it all in: Cursed Blood, Cursed Past_


	7. Cursed Blood, Cursed Past

Heirs of the Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 7: Cursed Blood, Cursed Past

Plato, being more than the model of a manservant by being _the _manservant, had dealt with many things in his time. An angry seven-year-old whose temper tantrums over being denied a dollar candy bar could cause several millions worth of broken vases and paintings, a boss who tended to over-clever himself when trying to raise his adopted son. Herding a group of ten-year-olds who all went on a wild panic when the birthday clown jumped out of the cake in surprise. Raising a garden in defiance of the wild animals, storms and more that lashed Duelist Kingdom. The list was endless.

And yet, as the argument in front of him went from snappy, snarky remarks to full on pillow-beating, he knew that he was never too old to learn how to make new mistakes.

"There can be no way I am blood-related to you! Because no cousin of mine would ever think that deep dish is the proper way to have pizza!"

"That's the only way to get all the flavor! Thin crust is just flimsy and can't hold anything in! You know - like your shirts!"

"We're the same size! You just insulted yourself!"

Such as the mistake of asking a group of cultured, professional adults what kind of toppings they would like on their pizza.

A decorative throw pillow lived up to its name as Kaede whipped it at her cousin. Jessie ducked, leaving it to sail over the arm and then seized her own pillow as a shield. "Just suck it up, buttercup and accept that mozzarella is the only pizza cheese!"

"You need to get out of your rut - in both senses of that word - and try something new! Like ricotta!" Kaede huffed as she hunted for another pillow.

Jessie peeked around her pillow. "You know, you always try to throw my sex life at me like it's a weapon. I think that's a sign of jealousy - eep!" She ducked as Kaede found more ammo. "Raymon! Help!"

"I'm helping by staying out of the way." Raymon said as he did his best to turn his armchair into a cushion-based fortress. "Family argument and all that."

"Coward!"

Plato watched the exchange more, then glanced to his side. "While the peanut gallery is offering a free show, have you ladies decided?"

"Well, it is far from me to push my opinions on others, but I feel that some things need to be told." Verthy said with a polite smile. "Such as pineapple not being a topping choice unless you're ordering Hawaiian."

"Looks your money can't buy your way out of your comfort zone, ojou." Jackie said in a blithe tone. "Live a little - have a fruit pizza. Apple slices, pineapple, olives, grapes and just a touch of orange."

Verthy's eye twitched even as her smile remained. "Oh, yes. Because why waste time having a main and a side when you can just combine the two like a child making mud pies. I'm sure it would be just as satisfying as mud pies."

Jackie rolled her eyes. "What is it with you rich people? You try all this exotic and gourmet food like stuffed pheasant eggs and whatever, but someone on the bottom of the pay ladder offers you an idea and you all gasp into your white-gloved hands like it's a pregnancy scandal!"

"It is not the source of the idea, but distaste of the idea itself." Verthy returned with a polite sniff. "If this level of madness is common of your ideas, then I can see why you have to wear straightjackets."

"Hey, if you don't like it, you're welcome to come and take it off, ojou." Jackie smirked as she sprawled back on her couch. "Or get you fitted for one, because only a crazy person refuses to try new things!"

"Not when they're culinary abominations!"

Plato decided that argument wasn't going anywhere, either and turned towards his last guest. Sumire was reading, somehow able to ignore the arguments going around her. "And what about you, Miss Ishtar?"

"I care little. Pizza is food." She turned a page. "I am hungry. I will eat it."

"How pragmatic of you." Plato observed. "I would have thought the Kaibas, being of the stubborn side of things, would have many similar debates over pizza."

"No. We often just ordered one for each of us." The Egyptian woman didn't look up from her book. "The most entertainment was my Uncle Marik trying to steal the pizza off the delivery people and leave money without getting caught." Seeing Plato giving her an interested and confused look, she explained. "My Uncle Marik gets very bored and has strange ways of entertaining himself."

"I see." Plato was saved from further comment as his watched chimed, flashing Tesla's name. He touched his earpiece. "This is Plato."

_"Hey, umm, this may be the fallout of my caffeine nukes in my war against the demon sleep-" _There a clatter of cans and plastic as she shuffled around and Plato could just imagine the forest of bottles around the mountain of her computer screen. _"But I just got an alert from the power system. One of the duel arenas is on and sucking down power."_

Plato frowned. "If you're calling me, I am assuming you cannot shut it down remotely."

_"Yeaahhh...see, that's the thing. I did that. Hit the big red button and everything." _There was a soft 'beep' - Tesla pushing said red big red button to prove her point. _"It's still taking power. And then I turned on the cams to get a look at it."_

"And?"

"_This is the thing I'm hoping my caffeine is making me hallucinate," _Tesla's voice wavered in worry. _"Cause there's a big dome of shadow stuff around it. And when I rewound the recording to see what was what, it kind of ate Rosemary and Lero."_

Plato felt his blood freeze and then he was out the door. "Was there anyone else present?"

_"Arena rose out of the ocean and there was some guy doing a swamp thing impression riding with it.." _Tesla's said. _"I swear I wasn't me this time!"_

"But I'm betting it's the young master again…" Plato was already darting down some stairs and he could hear the other women's surprised questions and then footsteps behind him. "See if you can't reach him. Make sure he is safe!"

TTTTTTT

"You will never be safe."

Ryou said those words with quiet assuredness, the kind that comes someone spoke from painful person experience. Under the bangs of his dirtied sleet hair, something muddied his brown eyes with the memories of that experience. "Not while she lives."

"Same argument as last time…" Lero said, frowning. "So I'm guessing reminding you Rosemary's your niece won't bring out any familial love in you."

"I'm doing this out of love; because she is my niece it has to be this way!" Ryou jabbed a finger at the suspended Rosemary. "Our blood is a curse. We were born only to suffer. You know what power she has, the monster that lives in her soul. Why force her to endure that anymore she has to?"

"Yeah, no, I'm not engaging your messed-up logic this time." Lero slapped his deck down on the space and his half of the arena lit up. "You want to hurt her and just like last time, I'm going to stop you!"

"Then I'll spare you suffering, too…" Ryou placed his deck down. "Better to endure a painful truth once than live under a torturous delusion."

"The irony in what you just said is so thick, I can taste it." Lero snapped up his five cards and tried to ignore how the surrounding shadows pulsed in hunger. Or the feeling of cold sweat down his back. _Or maybe that's my fear._

He flicked a glance at Rosemary, but she was unconscious, limp in the shadow tendrils that held her. _Or maybe it's hers._

(LLP: 8000) (RLP: 8000)

"I draw." Ryou plucked the card up from his deck. He played a card and droplets of rain fell from the sky to soak into his deck. "Graceful Charity."

He drew three cards, then discarded two. Seizing another card, he played it and a copy of it rose in front of him. It showed an old-fashioned puppet with a creepy grin on it being repaired with some red, dripping thread. "I activate the continuous spell card Puppet Life Thread."

A card was dropped into his graveyard and then a monster space in front of him glowed. Out of it rose a doll. She was sitting limp, head lolling and dressed in gothic finery. "I can discard a Gimmick Puppet monster to summon Gimmick Puppet- Bisque Doll from my hand." (1000/1000)

Ryou pointed and red threads shot out of his spell card, digging into his doll and making her jerk and do an awkward, unsettling dance. "Puppet Life Thread reduces the attack of a Gimmick Puppet I control to zero to let me draw a card!" Drawing, he glanced at it and then smiled. "I always enjoyed collecting things, you know. And since one Bisque Doll has brought me a twinge of happiness, my Machine Duplication will let me summon two more from my deck."

Two more dolls rose alongside the first and somehow, Lero swore all of them gained evil smiles at no longer being alone. He'd never been afraid of horror themed decks; working for R&D had gotten him used to card designs based on the deepest, darkest parts of the human psyche. _But these dolls are alive just enough to make me worry…_

"With my three level eight monsters-" Ryou spread his hands wide even as his monsters transformed into spheres of light that show into a portal that was ripped open in front of him. "I open the Overlay Network!"

_What? _Lero stared in shock as the new monster began to emerge from the portal. _Since when did he have a monster that need three materials? He only used ones that had two last time!_

"_Heap discarded dreams in broken hope! But sin cannot be buried! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Burial Matryoshka!" _Ryou's monster was a rounded figurine, cracked and chipped and flaking what Lero hoped was paint and not flesh. It was a Russian nesting doll and through the damage it had taken, Lero could see glowing eyes from the other dolls inside. Along with eerie rattlings and moans. (0/0)

_That's new...and scary. And not just because it's looks. Monsters with zero stats often have powerful effects. _He watched the three lights of the Overlay Units orbit the doll. _And Xyz monsters get better effects because they're limited on ammo.  
_

He switched his gaze by Ryou, frowning at the man's placid smile. _Problem with opponents like him is they're so out there, it's impossible to read them. Last time we dueled, his deck was aggressive and focused on effect damage. This time, I have no clue._

"I set one card face-down." Ryou set the card and on the field, the space behind his monster gained a slow blink. "End of turn."

"My move." Lero drew and then his expression settled into grim satisfaction at the sight of the card. _Then again, my deck differs completely from ten years ago, too! _

TTTTTT

"That's no holographic malfunction, is it?" Raymon asked nervously. The group was crowded on the shoreline, staring in mixes of concern, horror and worry at the pulsating sphere of darkness.

"What tipped you off, the fact it's not affected by the wind or the water? Or we're all looking like we just saw someone drop dead?" Jackie snapped.

"I just… I mean, these stories are rumors!" Raymon protested, waving at the sphere. "Stories duelists tell each other to keep themselves up at night! Stuff like this doesn't happen in real life!"

"...you're dating the daughter of one of the most famous duelists ever and he got his start dueling in things like this." Jackie stared at him when Raymon just shrugged. "Have you ever seen a Battle City Finals recording? Or are one of you those magic-deniers who claim it was 'weather malfunction'?"

"Of course not! I just…" Raymon held up a hand defensively. "Thought this stuff happened somewhere else!"

Farther down the beach, Plato was a foot away from the sphere. He was gazing at it, brow furrowed.

"Can you do anything?" Jessie asked after a moment, rocking on her heels. "You know magic, right?"

"I know enough that trying to break the unbreakable means bad things happen to those who try it." Plato said, unsurprised as Sumire emerged from the water. "Anything?"

"Calling it a sphere is correct." Sumire sounded upset at the fact and not that she was still in street clothes and dripping wet. "It extends around the entire arena. The water passes through one side and out the other as if it is not there."

"Wonderful!" Jessie hissed and stomped her foot, giving the Darkness Game the sharpest glare she had. The shadows remained unaffected. "They're in there, we're out here and we can't even see what's going on!"

"I may have fixed that part of your problems, Jessie! Unlike your pizza tastes!" Everyone turned to see Kaede waving at them. She was seated on a large boulder, laptop open in her lap. "I connected to the arena's cameras! It's not two-way, but we should be able to see what's going on!"

She yelped as her head almost smacked the keyboard, Jackie and Verthandi leaning on her shoulders to peer at the screen "Hey! This thing has a projector mode! Be patient!"

"Sorry." Verthy apologized.

"I'm not sorry; that should have been the first thing you showed us!" Jackie huffed and then everyone turned forwards the cliff way as Kaede flipped her laptop's camera around. The image wasn't perfect, projected on the craggy rocks, but they could all see well enough. Including the broken toy of Burial Matryoshka and the owning duelist. "Whoa - who's the nightmare?"

Jessie's hands flew to her mouth in shock. "Uncle Ryou!"

"No way…!" Kaede's jaw was slack. "He's dead!" When everyone gave them a look, the redhead continued. "Uncle Ryou went off the deep-end after everything our parents went through, in and out of mental hospitals. Ten years ago, he finally went truly nuts and tried to kill Rosemary, claiming that his entire bloodline was cursed to be evil!"

"Yes. And Lero dueled him to defend her life." Plato said, expression tight as he nodded to the figure hanging between the two duelists. "It appears he has come back to finish the job."

"But Lero can't!" Jessie whirled in protest to the manservant. "That was the duel that cursed him! If he duels again, he'll die!"

"What?!" Verthandi's eyes got big, fingers clawing at her dress. "I thought his curse just kept him from dueling!"

"Dueling aggravates the curse. Each time Lero duels, the 'waters of his soul' evaporate away. I do not know what it means. And I don't know the circumstances that caused the curse." Plato was staring at the screen with a mask of professional worry. "Only Master Pegasus, Lero and Rosemary know the full details"

"That's not helpful at all!" Jessie snapped, turning back to the screen and growling at it. "Goddammit, why'd Uncle Ryou have to grab Rosemary? You'd think he'd want personal revenge on her, not Lero!"

"I've got a better question." Jackie pointed at the laptop screen, which was showing a top-down view of the duel field. "Lero invented those two new game mechanics, right? And Xyz monsters are black. So why does a man who's been dead ten years have one?"

"We are having more questions than answers," Verthy's grip on her dress tightened as she stared at the duel. "And I hope our friends live long enough so we can get them…"

"Stop worrying." Sumire's curt tone cut through the conversation like a hot knife through butter and when everyone looked at her, she lifted a finger to point at the screen. "Look at Bellerophon. He is smiling. Calm. Confident. Despite this situation, he is playing Duel Monsters. His father's game. _His _game."

She gave them all looks before staring resolutely at the screen. "That means he knows what he is doing. He is more than capable of victory. If you cannot trust in that, if you cannot believe in him, I will personally throw you into the ocean because you need not be here." She kept her back to them, arms folded. "As his wife, I can do no less."

The others fell silent, and it was only because of her folded arms that none of them could see how tightly she was squeezing her upper arms. _Bellerophon...please win!_

TTTTTTT

"From my hand, I activate the field spell card World Satellite Array!" Lero slapped down the card and above them, the roiling shadows parted to reveal a star-filled night sky. Some of them were moving and flashing lights of all colors. "I also summon Satellite Launcher!" (500/500)

A screen popped up on his field, displaying a space shuttle blazing through Earth's atmosphere and shedding booster rockets. "But just like your monsters, they work better in multiples! So Machine Duplication activates!"

Two more screens flashed up to display two more shuttles and then Lero held up a spell card. "Polymerization! I fuse all three Launchers into Satellite Orbital!"

The screens melded, their images doing the same and resulted into an extra-large, advanced-looking shuttle that looked like it was ready for a flight in deep space. (1500/1500)

"And just what does your little trip to the stars do? You cannot escape the truth even up in the heavens…" Ryou paused as three more screens opened around Lero, each displaying long, tiered rockets. "What?"

"When a Satellite Launcher is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can summon a Satellite Cannon!" The rockets all fired boosters, angling themselves towards the earth. Then a laser cannon telescoped out from the nose, the sides unfolded like a metal flower into solar panels. (0/0x3)

World Satellite Array's satellites began to glow as did his Satellite Orbital and two cards shot out of his deck. "My field spell and my fusion monster let me add one 'Charge' to my hand every time I summon a Satellite Cannon!" Lero slapped down both cards and light began streaming into his monster's solar panels. "And each Charge I activate gives all Satellite Cannons two thousand attack points!" (0-4000x3)

TTTTTT

"Yes!" Jessie pumped a fist in the air, even as the middle Satellite Cannon began to gather power in its weapons banks. "He's got a One-Turn Kill!"

"No he doesn't! That set card is Mirror Force - look!" Raymon stared as the blast from the cannon rained down like fire on high towards Burial Matryoshka only to slam in a prismatic dome of light just before it could impact.

Kaede let out a whoop. "But it doesn't matter! World Satellite Array prevents light machines that are level five or higher from being destroyed by an opponent's card effects! And Mirror Force doesn't negate the attack itself!"

With a roar, the blast punched through the dome of light and Ryou's monster exploded into fragments of doll and dust. There was nothing left of it.

Except for Ryou's chuckling. Everyone frowned and then gaped as the dust cleared, revealing three more monsters. Two were copies of Burial Matryoshka while third just looked like a version of it that was made of rotting flesh and bone as opposed to wood. _"When my Xyz monster is destroyed, I summon as many copies of it and the monster Babushka Corpse. Equal to the number of materials it had."_

He pointed at the field and the three lights now orbiting his monsters. "_Then each one gains one Xyz Material from my graveyard."_Lero looked surprised at the monsters, then his eyes narrowed. _"I set one card face-down. Then I end my turn and my Cannons each one thousand attack points." _(5000x3)

"What- why didn't he keep attacking?" Raymon asked in confusion. "Even I know that leaving monsters on your opponent's field is a bad thing!"

"It's because of how the dolls work." Jackie said. "They all have that same summon effect as the first one. So long as they have at least one Xyz Material, he can just summon another one. And the first one is in the graveyard, so they'll just keep looping."

"Damn, that's some OP stuff right there…" Jessie commented. "But why keep them?"

"Dunno. But I bet we're all about to find out."

TTTTTTT

Ryou drew for his turn. "I activate one more effect of my monsters - by removing one Xyz Material, it treats them as level eight monsters instead of rank eight!" Two of the lights winked out and Lero was treated to the disturbing sight of the monster's flesh and wood parts rebuilding themselves like someone was mashing them together. "Once more, I open the Overlay Network!"

The two Burial Matryoshka faded away, becoming twin lights that orbited the new space his monster was going to occupy. "Dress-up is no disguise for murder; a broken tooth needle and veins for the thread! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Sew'n'Strangle!"

The new monster gave off a wooden cackle as she appeared, puppet head lolling on the ball-and-socket joint in a wild dance. Like the Bisque Dolls, she was dressed in finery. It was tattered, dark with steins and rips that she hadn't bothered to repair. She played cat's cradle with a length of something bloody and distinctly not string. (2000/2000)

She laughed again as threads from Ryou's continuous spell plunged into her body.(2000-0) "Puppet Life Thread drains her attack to let me draw again. Two cards this time." Ryou did so, smiling. "But now I must put one card from my hand back atop my deck."

He slid a card onto the arena, watching as his puppet's threads gained an ickly silver sheen to them and her eyes began to glow. "I equip her with the Strings of Destiny. Now she attacks Satellite Cannon!"

The doll twirled her cat's cradle above her head and hurled it up into the sky. Despite the impossible distance of it all, it became visible on one screen towards one cannon. "I also activate her effect - by removing one material, she cannot be destroyed in battle, I take no damage and she will gain one String Counter per battle."

_Per battle? Why mention that so specifically? _Lero's eyes widened as his Cannon began to prepare to counterattack, gathering light once more. He remembered what Sew'n'Strangle did now. _He can remove a String Counter to deal me one thousand points of damage! But he'd never get enough counters unless-_ "Your equip spell!"

"Yes. I send the top card of my deck to the graveyard." Ryou held it up, revealing it to be a Gimmick Puppet monster called Dreary Doll. "Because it was Gimmick Puppet, Sew'n'Strangle can attack once for every level it has!"

The doll laughed and whipped out her other hand, seven new strings lashing towards the sky. They began to coil around the Satellite Cannon like snakes, her laughter growing.

TTTTTTT

"Eight attacks!" Kaede's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "That is such bullshit!"

"Since when do the bad guys get to have One-Turn Kills, too!?" Jessie demanded of no one in particular. "Lero! That set card better be something amazing! Or I'm going to reach through this screen and slap you for-"

Explodes cut off her ranting, leaving her to blink dumbly as she realized it was the attacked Satellite Cannon. Then two more fireballs blossomed as the other two Satellite Cannons followed suit and a second later, the Satellite Orbital decided it didn't want to be alone in the void and detonated. "...what was that?"

"Looks like it was planned, at least." Verthy nodded at Lero's image. He looked rather unconcerned that the wreckage of his monsters was crashing down around him like a meteor shower.

"It's…" Kaede glanced down at her laptop and grinned. "Oh, damn. He's good. He activated High Rate Draw!"

"That explains it - that thing nukes every monster on his board and then lets him draw one card for each Machine." Jackie nodded, smirking a bit. "And now that knock-off Barbie can't attack any monsters, it can't gain any String Counters."

"And with no attack points, it can't damage him, anyway!"

Ryou just nodded once at Lero. _"I set one card face-down. That ends my turn."_

"That man is rather unnerving." Verthy said with a grimace. "Most people I encounter who think like he does love to hear themselves talk, but he is being silent. If it weren't for the danger, it was almost like they were having a friendly game."

"Uncle Ryou was always quiet. Never talked much when we saw him." Kaede said. "I thought he was nice because of it...but…" She shook her head and gave up.

In the lull of the conversation, they could hear a sing-song humming. It was Ryou, dipping his head in time to the creepy melody. His eyes were half-lidded as he pinged a nail against the metal of the console create a pitch for his song.

"_...your blood's not pure, pain's what you'll endure...don't be contrary, your death won't be scary.."_

Kaede shivered a bit. "Yeah. That."

TTTTTTT

"My draw!" Lero snapped up his card and slapped a different one from his hand onto the table. "Go! Junk Dealer! I revive any two machines from my graveyard at half stats! I pick Satellite Launcher and Satellite Orbital!"

Two screens materialized to either side of him, showing the machines drifting through spaces. Their engines sputtered, scraps and pieces trailing out behind them as they tumbled in slow circles. (250/250) (750/750)

Lero held up the card he'd just drawn. "Then I play Reflect Energy! I tribute Satellite Launcher!" The shuttle suddenly ignited its engines, banked towards the distance and vanished in a stretch of starlight into hyperspace.

Ryou was still humming his song, not even breaking it as a disk shot out of the darkness behind Lero to lodge against the 'wall' of the Darkness Game and unfold into a satellite dish. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at it in mute question.

"Reflect Energy allows all of my monsters to attack you directly this turn! And since Launcher went to the graveyard, I get Satellite Cannon back from the graveyard!" A streak warped out of the space shown in the screen, revealing a whole and shiny Satellite Cannon that was already unfolded into battle status. "This triggers my field spell and my fusion's effects! I collect two copies of Charge!"

Plucking them up, he flipped them around and his Satellite Cannon began power up even further. "Four thousand attack points isn't quite enough, so I use the other effect of my field spell! It gained a counter each time my light machines die and I can expend them to boost any other light machine by one thousand!"

Up in space, satellites rotated and aimed themselves at Satellite Cannon. Energy launched straight into the solar panels, pouring into the cannon itself and leaving the entire machine glowing with the power it contained. (0-4000-8000)

TTTTTTT

"Another OTK right after the first! That's nuts!" Raymon was glancing skywards, almost expecting to see the brilliant and lethal glow of Lero's monster up among the stars.

"Hells yeah he can!" Jessie yanked her boyfriend into an excited hug that let him buried in her cleavage. "Haven't seen him duel in so long, I forgot how good he is! His entire deck is designed so that every blow can be a lethal one!"

"Crazy doesn't seem worried." Jackie said, watching as the Satellite Cannon angled itself into firing position.

"He seems to be out of his mind, so perhaps it is beyond him to be worried at all." Verthy offered, but the look on her face said she knew how unlikely her words were.

Sumire just watched, lips thinned in worry.

TTTTTTT

The blast screamed down out of the atmosphere, ripping through the air straight towards the tiny dish that was going to angle right back into the back of Ryou's unprotected skull.

He watched it come, eyes widening slowly and mouth stretching into smile.

Lero was shielding his face with his arm from the light, feeling his heart go cold in fear. Dueling instinct told him Ryou had a way of stopping his attack yet… _That look on his face. It's like he's greeting the sunrise, not eight thousand points worth of damage! It's like he wants let it hit, anyway! _

Then the older man was flipping up a card on his console and the remaining Xyz Material on his Babushka shot up into the air. It crashed into the oncoming attack and a violent explosion ripped through the air, shaking the arena. "The trap Overlay Shield lets me detach an Xyz Material from my monster. Then I take no damage for the turn and if it was the last material my monster possessed, I draw one card."

_Damn. I forgot he had that card from last time! _Lero grabbed a card from his hand. "I set one card face-down. End of turn!" Above him, his Satellite Cannon gathered more energy to itself. (9000)

"My move." Ryou drew, holding up the card after glancing at it. "I activate Stage Select. I shuffle your deck and then place one card from my deck atop it."

"I'll shuffle my own deck, thank you." Lero did so without really looking at it - he felt like breaking eye contact with his opponent was more dangerous than making it.

Giggling erupted as Sew'n'Strangle produced a new length of bloody red thread and began to twirl it. "I declare an attack with my monster and as I milled Gimmick Puppet - Magnet Doll, she will attack your Satellite Cannon eight times!"

"Reverse card open!" Lero flipped the card and both Sew'n'Strangle and his Satellite Cannon began to glow with blue light. "I activate the trap Cyber Galaxy! By tributing two monsters on either side of the field so long as one more than two-thousand attack points, I summon my dragon!"

The two monsters vanished, the blue light swirling down onto his field together. They erupted into a pillar of light in which a dragonoid shape could be seen. The light condensed down on the shape, molding itself over it. The air hissed and sizzled as it cooled into a gleaming, angular armor. In the depths of the helm, two eyes lit up with shimmering light that resembled the swirl of galaxies. "Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon!" (3000/2500)

TTTTTTT

"Heck of a dragon...!" Raymon gawked at it, but when no one commented, he turned and blinked at the sight of Kaede, Jessie and Jackie all staring at it. Deciding his girlfriend was likely to freak out, he touched her on the shoulder. "Jessie?"

"...sfine." Jessie blinked, as if she were breaking a spell on her. "Just feel like I've seen that dragon somewhere."

"Lero didn't have it when I was with him." Jackie said, shaking her head and thwacking the side of it. "I've seen it too, though…

but why is it a Normal Monster? That doesn't fit his deck at all."

Kaede didn't say anything, just stroked at her left forearm through her sleeve.

Sumire glanced at the three out of the corner of her, then noticed Verthy doing the same. The pinked-haired woman caught her eye, Sumire frowning as she noticed a runic shape of light in Verthy's.

The German woman shook her head, politely dismissing the questioning eyebrow glance she got and returned her attention back to the duel.

TTTTTTT

"I…" Ryou's placid smile had dropped, watching the dragon with a strange expression. "I set one monster face-down. End of turn."

Lero flexed his fingers, the icy chill that had settled in his bones with the Darkness Game dissipating the longer he stayed in the light from his monster. He drew for his turn, smirking as he caught the card. "Graceful Charity! Draw three, discard two!"

Pulling up the new cards, his happy expression winked out when he saw what one of them was. _Why this monster? Why now? It shouldn't even be in my deck! _Images of a bellowing roar and the crackle of flames echoed, a voice digging into his brain.

'_For your transgression, know the judgement of the gods…'_

"I discard these two monsters!" Lero grabbed the cards and shoved them into his graveyard alongside the images of the flames and the voice. "Satellite Cannon! Fire!"

The energy lanced out of the sky like a lightning bolt, blasting Ryou's Babushka doll into pieces. "Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon! _Strident Nova!_"

The dragon roared, spewing out a fireball of prismatic flames slammed into the set monster and left nothing but smoldering pixels in its wake. "End of turn!"

Lero let out a quiet breath he didn't know he'd been holding in and glanced at his monster for reassurance. There wasn't any flavor text on the tan background, but he didn't need to know that the monster was there for him.

"Draw…" Ryou did so and set a monster down in front of him. "I summon Gimmick Puppet - Des Troy." The doll was a dark parody of a centaur, composed of dozens of doll torsos fit together and sawed off table legs instead of a horse's. (1200/2000)

It's headless neighed in pain as the red threads from Puppet Life Thread plunged into it and made it kick and thrash. "By draining its attack to zero, I draw one card."

The drawn card appeared on the field and Des Troy glowed, spawning two identical copies of itself to either side. "Machine Duplication summons two more from my deck."

Ryou lifted a casual finger and flicked it. The center Des Troy exploded with a pained noise. "My monster can destroy one Gimmick Puppet I have. Then I can summon two more from my hand. Come forth, Gimmick Puppets - Magnet Doll and Child's Favorite!"

The first monster was a simple, featureless doll made of round magnets as joints and chunky pieces of metal for limbs. The second was unlike any of the other ones Lero had seen him use thus far. Child's Favorite was angelic in its appearance, sharing none of the damage on its plastic body the others had and its gown pressed neatly.

Then the eyes opened and Lero flinched. The eyes were missing, leaving twin pits of darkness in which he swore were a portal to another world. A dead, cold world of frozen fire. (1000/1000x2)

"Another new trick…" Lero said after he'd wrenched his eyes from the doll. "Did you not get a chance to use that one in our last duel?"

"No, this one is new… it came to me in the cold and the dark, in the place where no light lives.." Ryou said slowly, as if he were trying to remember something from ago. "It brought me back..to this place...where there is light and warmth and all the other things that bring pain!"

"Says the man trying to kill his niece for the second time!" Lero snapped, hoping his words were more in genuine anger rather than the urge to do something about the creepy look Child's Favorite was giving him.

"She should have never been born! As I never should have! As none of my family should have! We are a cursed blood, the family that carries the monsters of the past to the next generation!" Ryou snapped back, his eyes flashing. Then the emotion fell and his gaze became sad and cold, distant again. "And I will ensure that we never have to suffer again!"

He pointed down at the playing field. "Child's Favorite! I now tune you together with Magnet Doll!"

"What?" Lero took a step back in surprise as the doll broke apart into two motes of light. "That thing is only level two and Magnet Doll is eight! There are no level ten Synchros in existence yet!"

"No, it's a Dark Tuner! And so I subtract the levels to create a level six Dark Synchro!" The motes of light sank into Magnet Doll. The puppet began to twist and thrash as if it were in agony, then energy exploded out of it into two rings of dark power that curtained it from view. _"The laughter of children brings forth the bleakest joy! Let your creations dance in hollow misery, doll that commands puppets! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Gimmick Puppet - Gimmick Puppeteer!"_

The monster was as it was named; a devilish-looking doll wearing an old-style suit. It held doll controls in its hands, the strings rattling chains that almost drowned out its cackle of delight. (2000/2000)

There was a tremendous roar and Lero glanced up, blinking to see his Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon roaring at the small monster. The whirling light in its eyes flashed as it was suddenly angry. _Does it hate that thing?!_

Ryou noticed the roaring, too, but just laughed alongside the Puppeteer. "I open the Overlay Network once more! _Doll made of other dolls, your dead rage empowers you! Let those who played with you become your toys! Gimmick Puppet - Gigantes Doll!" _

The two Des Troy were sucked away as spheres of light as Ryou's monster rose onto the playing field. It was nearly as big as Galax-Eyes Cyber Dragon, an ever-shifting mass of doll parts trying to fix themselves into something stable. (0/2000)

"Gigantes Dolls special ability! By removing an Xyz Material, it can seize control of one of your monsters! So I remove both!" The shifting mass of doll parts suddenly sprouted giant hands made of legs and torsos that crushed the orbiting lights. _"Corruption Grab!_

The hands reached out, one seizing Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon by the throat and dragging it by sheer brute force. The other plunged through the ether, reaching into deep space to crush Satellite Orbital like a twig. The advanced machinery was smashed into the playing field, sparking and twisted like a spent Roman Candle.

"My monsters-" Lero felt his heart lurch in his chest and nearly dropped his hand of cards as he stumbled. The cold of the Darkness Game returned and this time it felt like it was pins and needles on it his heart itself. _What is this? Is it because I don't have my Galaxy-Eyes?!_

Gigantes Doll exploded, doll parts piling onto Ryou's stolen monsters and fusing into them like melting wax. "By tributing Gigantes Doll, I can make all monsters I control level eight!

Gimmick Puppeteer laughed and cracked the doll chains it was holding. They sank into the ground like they were alive, churning up the 'earth' of the playing field. "And now the power of Gimmick Puppeteer comes into effect! I can Xyz Summon out of my graveyard!"

_But the only thing he has in there are Gigantes Doll, his nesting dolls and Sew'n'Strangle! _Lero gaped through his sudden pain as both his monsters became orbs of light, each surrounding the cracked and damaged forms of Burial Matryoshka that Gimmick Puppeteer pulled out of the ground. "You can..summon them with just one material?!"

"Yes! Now battle!" The two nesting dolls rattled, tendrils exploding out of the damages, slashing Lero across the chest. Then the chains from Puppeteer looped around his neck and sparked with an energy that did its best to draw a scream of pain out of his bound throat. (LLP: 8000-6000)

The chains fell away and Lero leaned on the console, sucking down air. And his expression fell as Puppeteer cackled, twirling chains in both hands. "As long as Gimmick Puppeteer is in play, whenever a Gimmick Puppet battles, you take one thousand damage! Pain Playtime!"

Lero screamed as the burning chains cracked over his body and the force sent him stumbling back into the platform's railing. (LLP: 6000- 3000)

Ryou watched him stagger back upright. "I set one card face-down. End turn!"

"D-Draw…!" Lero pulled the card free. He no longer felt the cold of the Darkness Game. He felt hot; the kind of hot being trapped under a blazing sun would feel like. He licked dry lips with a dry tongue, the heat sinking into his body and making his muscles ache. This is getting to be unbearable…

He spared a glance down at his graveyard slot and swore he saw an angry glow flicker in it. That card is pissed...but I can't rely on it! "From my hand, I activate Recycling Plant! I banish all three Satellite Cannons and fusion summon! Satellite Laser Balsam- X!"

A new viewscreen opened near him, displaying his new monster. It was larger than his three Satellite Cannons would be combined, bristling with weapons and several winged

tiers of solar panels. "And guess what? This monster is treated as 'Satellite Cannon', so my field spell gives me a copy of Charge!" (0/0)

He slapped the card down, the monster's solar panels angling to catch more light and power up the weapons. At the same time, a new attachment appeared on the back of the massive weapon. It exploded open, revealing a golden sheet that followed out behind it like a giant sail. "Then I equip it with Solar Shield Array." (2000)

Lero fished two cards out of his graveyard and held them up, "I can banish Satellite Launchers from the graveyard to boost the attack of Satellite Cannon, so lets make it an even four grand!" Energy was poured into the solar panels from an unknown source and the weapons began hum, warming up. (4000)

"Alright, all weapons are hot! So let's make your creepy dolls burn! Balsam-X! Open fire!" The satellite did, firing a multi-colored barrage of plasma rain that burned holes through one of Bakura's Burial Matryoshkas until it was melting Swiss cheese.

Ryou gripped his console as the blasts hit, the backlash crashing over him and leaving him windswept even as his life points plummeted. "Why didn't my monster's effect deal you damage?" (RLP: 8000-4000)

"Solar Shield Array. It prevents me from taking damage during the battle phase when Satellite Cannon battles!" Lero smiled as up above, pinpricks of light began to fill the dark sky. "And did I mention Baslam-X can attack every monster you have?"

Ryou was already grabbing his face-down card and flipped it up even as the rain of light smashed through and then burned away his dolls. First his Xyz Monster, then his Dark Synchro even as it tried to vainly shield itself with its puppet controls. "Damage Diet! All damage I take this turn is halved-" Then he crying out as the explosions blossomed, swallowing up his field in heat, crackling energy and smoke. (RLP: 4000-2000-1000)

Lero smirked, trying to hide the fact the reason he felt flush wasn't from his success and how that damnable heat was making him sweat through his shirt. "How about that? That finally smack the crazy out of you and wake you up, you ghost?!"

"You...you think I care I'm dead…" Ryou's half of the field cleared, revealing him clutching on his console for support as his emaciated body trembled. "I was never alive to begin with! Just a puppet! Just like everyone else in my family!"

A shaking hand clutched as his face. "I looked it up, you know...after everything...after Aigami...and Atem...after the doctors said I was safe, sane. My family history. I had to see...what lead my father to hunt down that accursed Ring…"

He screwed his eyes shut, fingers clawing at limp dead hair. "My family...kept coming into contact with it. All these stories for hundred of years about a golden ring that brought a fortune to the family, only to vanish after murders and mysterious disappearances...my father thought it was a family heirloom, that it belonged to use and everyone was just cursed with jealousy by our having the golden Ring…"

Leo flinched as Ryou's scrabbling fingers got so far into his skull that red stained his even as it came out in chunks, his voice rising in strained frustration. "But it was the Ring! The Ring was the curse! It was evil, and we were doomed to be its wearers forever! All of us! The whole family!"

He glanced at his ripped out blankly, letting a gust of wind yank the strands away. He followed them, his gaze calming a bit when he settled on Rosemary's limp form between them. "But them...Rosie came...my Miss Mary...darling little niece. Beautiful. Happy. _Good._"

The bloodied hand reached for her, a smile almost touching his lips. "I had been the monster's vessel...but it was gone. _He_ was gone. No more voices in my head except my own. So Miss Mary had to be safe." The half-smile crumbled into a dark sob, reaching fingers curling into knuckle-whitening fist. "But then...she wasn't. My family's blood...stained her pure soul black...gave birth to that monster inside her."

He ripped the next card from his deck so hard it almost spilled the rest. "I won't let my family be fate's puppets! I'll cut our strings! I draw!"

Lero watched the dark determination settle onto the old man's face. _Just like last time...same belief that his entire family is meant for nothing but despair. I don't think he even noticed Balsam-X gained attack points to put it seven thousand...or maybe he doesn't care. _

"Activate Puppet Ritual! Because you have at least two thousand more life points than I do, I can summon two Gimmick Puppets from my graveyard!" Two tiny coffins rose in front of him, lids popping off so two Bisque Dolls could lift themselves up. "With my two monsters, I open the Overlay Network!"

The two dolls once more became spheres of light that began dance around the swirling nexus of the Xyz Summon. _"Beset the world stage with horror as you reveal the strings make us all dance! Screams of death are the chorus of salvation as you sever the tyrant's threads! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Thread Reaper!" _

Unlike the previous monsters, this one was not small. It was a giant, beating out Gigantes Doll and Lero's Galaxy-Eyes by a good amount. This doll was crude metal and junk hammered together, burnished clean by the steam that would vent from the joins as it moved and lumbered about with great gears whirling on its back. Great-linked chains served as strings for it, connected to an unseen puppeteer who made the monster move. (1000/3000)

"Thread Reaper's ability! By detaching an Xyz Material, I can negate the effects of all face-up cards you control for one turn! _Thread Severing!_" Steam hissed as the giant puppet lifted both hands, energy spilling out of its palms to lash itself around all of Lero's cards.

Lero watched Baslam-X get tangled in the threads, its attack score falling back to four thousand. "There's a three thousand point difference between our monsters!"

"That's my Reaper's second power!" Ryou pointed up into the sky. The threads binding Lero's fusion tightened, ripping open tears all over the machine even as they drained down energy back to their source. The Xyz's empty eye sockets glowed and the rattling gears grew faster, louder as its power rose. "For every card negated, it gains one String Counter! And for every String Counter on the field, it gains one thousand attack points!" (1000-4000)

Thread Reaper began reel its strings in, Baslam-X's jets and thrusts firing in use struggle as the giant puppet began force it out of orbit. "Then I can expend a String Counter to destroy one card you control!"

The tug of war proved too much for Baslam and it broke apart with a series of violent explosions that scattered its component atoms into deep space. "Now, Thread Reaper! Direct attack on his life points!"

Lero was already grabbing for his graveyard when the puppet spewed a volley of those deadly strings towards him. "I banish Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard! The battle phase is ended!" He let out a sigh of relief as the strings all wilted to the ground before they could hit.

Ryou didn't seem to mind his attempt to end the duel had failed. "I end my turn."

_Great..._Lero grabbed for his next draw, unable to avoid noticing how sweat was pouring down his face to plop onto the console. In his mind's eye, those angry flames in his graveyard were hellish now and murmuring in rage at him. _I've got a pissed off monster in my graveyard and a walking dead man in front of me. Plus, the negation didn't wear off on my field spell. I'm started to feeling kind of damned..._

He drew and then slid the card onto the console. "Pot of Greed. I draw twice." Two cards lifted from his deck and he stared at them.

Then he glanced at Rosemary, still dangling and unconscious between them. _Well, I can't get cursed twice, can I?_

"I activate Monster Reborn!" The moment he finished the words, the seething flames erupted out of the graveyard. They swelled and billowed into a wildfire that morphed into a massive jet-sized screeching phoenix of pure flame. (0/0)

Ryou stared at the monster, mouth going slack before spreading in a grin not so unlike he'd given Lero's second OTK. "How perfect...a god of flames to burn our cursed blood from the world! The sun to burn us all to ashes!"

"Winged Dragon of Ra!" Lero could barely hear himself over the roaring of the sun god's flaming body. "Attack Thread Reaper!"

The heat blazing off the monster intensified, evaporating his sweat and searing him; the god angry Lero was sending it to its death. But it obeyed, embers scattering with a great flap of its wings as it swooped towards the giant puppet.

The puppet's threads lashed around the phoenix like bandages, smothering the flames. They coiled tighter and tighter until with a pitiful screech, the sun god nothing but scattered motes of light.

Lero managed to smile in the thick silence that followed and held up the other card he had drawn. "Spell of Pain redirects all damage from the battle to you."

The motes of light flickered, becoming embers that became fingers of flames that began a raging wildfire that tornado'd around Thread Reaper. The machine body didn't even melt, the flames were so intense it just flaked away into ash. Ryou stared at the onrushing flames, his expression somewhere between horror and thankfulness before they swallowed him up. And like his monster, his body fell away into ash. (RLP: 0)

The other duelist was not going to be so lucky. Lero shielded his face as the fire kept spreading despite lacking anything to burn and it crawled up his stand, the console sparking and then popping apart as the heat forced the metal to expand and warp. There wasn't even time to run as the fire jumped from metal to his clothing, fabric burning away in less time than it takes to say.

But he himself did not burn. The heat was unbearable, his swimming vision nothing but angry fire and tendrils of steam erupting from his body. The flames were so much, it might as well been the sun on earth. Flames so hot they were the whole world. Flames hot enough to have a voice, rough and furious.

"_You have abused the power of the gods! For your transgression, know the judgement of the Ra! Your arrogance will burn away the waters of life within you!" _

Lero staggered from the weight of the voice, weak legs dropping him against the railing. He managed to focus on his hand, only noting from a distance that his skin was dry. Dry so much it wasn't even skin, cracking and splitting apart from the heat in chunks and flakes and only when a bit of it exploded off, did he finally realize. _Oh. The flames are burning me into a clay statue. _

The flames were everywhere - around him, on him, above him, in him. The heat had passed the point of unbearableness to complete pain and then they chewed on him to the point past pain and despite all the heat and the fire and the pain-

Darkness claimed him.

TTTTTTT

"The hell he has a God Card!?" Kaede had shot to her feet so fast, the laptop almost fell until she caught and was shaking it by a screen. "Those should be in the afterlife with the Pharaoh!"

"If he has one, it must be fake!" Jessie's face was white. "And the gods punish people who use them!"

"Then he's about to really piss it off - he's suiciding Ra into that monster!" Jackie had managed to grip Kaede's arms to keep the laptop from breaking, but all it did was give them a perfect view of Ra's attack and then Lero's surprise play to finish Ryou.

And the screen was nothing but raging red flames.

"Young Master!" Plato was already sprinting for the dissolving Darkness Game that was peeling away to reveal the roiling inferno inside. He'd only made within leaping distance of the arena when the flames erupted into a shock wave that sent everyone diving for cover and left the smell of ozone and burnt hair in its wake.

Plato rolled to his feet, shielding his face from the heat only for a strong hand to seize his wrist. "Release me!"

"You will die if you go in there!" Sumire had to shout to be heard above the flames they were so close to the arena.

"Lero will die if I don't!" Plato tugged himself free, long legs propelling him into a run in two steps. Not enough speed to make a jump onto the arena, but enough to catch the bottom. Lero was swaying, staggering as the platform he was on lowered…

The platform blew, the playing erupted in a wave of sparking flames as the electronics overheated, metal sheets the size of cars being flung skywards like playing cards. Plato cursed as the new shock wave staggered him, throwing off his momentum and almost went falling off the cliff before Sumire yanked his ankle out from under him. "No!"

"Look!" Jackie was pointing, her eyes shielded from the light by her mask. "There!"

Plato squinted, shielding his eyes with both hands. In the center of the inferno, he could make out Rosemary. The British woman must have crashed to the platform when the Darkness Game went away. Any sane person would have chosen to dive into the ocean, but she was army-crawling forwards towards Lero.

But she should have also been burned to a crisp. Yet not even her clothing was singed. Plato couldn't believe it, staring in awe as _something_ just shoved the flames out Rosemary's way like an invisible hand sweeping debris off a desk. Whatever it was, Plato could see it was hunkering close to her body, blocking falling debris and embers and batting away sparking cables without a care.

He could see vague glimpses of shape, almost certain they were mirages caused by the heat. Large, muscled arms like a human's, great wings that batted aside debris and shielded her from tongues of flame. A tail like a snake's that would whip forwards to clear out wires and even drag Rosemary free when she got stuck on the damaged platform.

And he could see her eyes were solid black voids of night, a dark that caused a shiver to run down his spine and an image of a burning kingdom to flash in his mind. A memory of despair brought to the forefront by the power she was exuding. _Rosemary is a Darkborn!_

There was no time to dwell on it; Rosemary had reached Lero. The thing following helped her smother the flames, but its image was getting blurry and vague, Rosemary forced to shed her shirt as embers passed through the creature. Plato could see her eyes flickering back to normal, the strain of her power finally catching up to her.

She glanced their way, Plato gesturing at them to come and he could hear one of the women yelling from behind. "Come on! This way! Hurry!"

But the flames were too intense and Rosemary couldn't move fast enough while carrying Lero to jump. Plato knew she'd reached the same conclusion, saw her glance this way and that. Then hug Lero close, rolling them both right off the edge of the arena.

The fall was enough to almost break bones from the height, at the very least knock the wind out of them. Which would leave them unable to swim or move as the arena fell apart right on top of them.

But they plunged through a waft of smoke and came out trailing wisps in the shape of the creature's body, the mirage being coiled around them both like a snake. And the water showed an impact while the two humans were still several feet away. _SHe used the creature to break their fall!_

And that had broken the creature - both Rosemary and Lero plunged under the water's surface, the white of her hair the last thing Plato saw before debris fell after them. He was scrambling to his feet, already kicking off his shoes-

Gold fabric fluttered across his view, yanked down like a curtain as a pair of scissors pinned it to the ground. "Cut my dress so we have bandages! Now!"

Verthy barked the order like the true aristocrat she and Plato was already obeying before he realized she'd shed all her clothing already. While the others were still getting to their feet or taking their own off. Sumire just opted for ripping off her shirt, bra coming with it in her impatience and vanished into the water after Verthy's perfect swan dive with one of her own.

And given what Verthy had been wearing, it meant she would have had the longest time to get undressed. But being the first meant she'd started taking off her clothes well in advance of Rosemary and Lero's plunge into the water. Perhaps even when the Darkness Game had ended - it hadn't even been two minutes since that happened.

_How did she know they were going to hit the water?_

There was no time to answer it now. The cliff had been lower than the arena and he was sprinting forwards with impromptu bandages in hand as Jessie and Kaede took over the cutting. Verthy was pulling Lero up to shore with her, his head fluttering against her chest as he coughed and spluttered water. Sumire was helping Rosemary, the British woman looking more exhausted than hurt. She coughed, spitting up water. "Lero...Lero first…!"

Plato was already on it, relief loosening the bands around his chest as he realized his ward was still breathing and miraculously did not seem even singed. But he was wounded, cuts over his arms and forehead and he set about applying his bandages to them even as Jackie helped Verthy haul him out of the water the rest of the way.

"Hey! Plato!"

He lifted his head to see Tesla barreling down the beach path way with one of the groundskeeping carts, his relief growing bigger when he saw Annalissa Lucinda in the passenger seat. The doctor was flying out of the cart before Tesla could even slow it down, medkit clutched in her hand.

She professionally shoved him out of the way without a word, popping open the medkit and setting to work with a brisk efficiency that was sobering to watch. She'd barely spent two minutes checking him over and dragging the others into apply bandages and cleaning wounds before Jessie and Kaede were hauling over a stretcher on the back of a cart.

Seeing Plato's worried look, she gave him a sharp nod. "He'll live." Her own look went to the burning arena. Fire suppression had kicked on and now it was doing nothing but emitting noxious clouds of smoke and char. "He should be dead. But he looks like he just took a bad fall instead of an explosion to the face."

"The flames were magical." Plato said, trying not to wince as the doctor twisted to give him a sharp look. "He dueled...and used a Winged Dragon of Ra card…"

Annalissa's face drew tight. "His curse."

"Panik earlier, now this." Plato found his voice thin with worry. "What do we do?"

Annalissa shared a look with him, then at the smoldering platform. Then went to check on Rosemary.

"Pray."

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __So many questions, I know! Where did Ryou come from? What brought him back from the dead? How did Lero get a God Card? What's the full extent of his curse? How did Verthy see into the future? And why did some girls react to the summon of his dragon? HOw did Ryou have an Xyz Monster ten years before Lero invented them? What is a 'Darkborn'?_

_All will be answered in the next chapter! Discover them all in: 'The Ugly Truth, The Whole Truth and False Truth!'_


	8. The Ugly Truth, The Whole Truth and The

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 8: The Ugly Truth, The Whole Truth and The False Truth

Sumire, not for the first time, wondered if the living room was starting to double as a funeral parlor. In the last three days, the group had used it to discuss the marriage contracts, the tournament, Lero's mental state and their options. The seriousness of the conversations had soaked into the walls, the floor, even furniture. It made the spacious cramped and sucked the warmth out of the air, leaving chills that had nothing to do how she'd gone swimming in the frigid night ocean just an hour before.

There was a crackling noise, rough against rough, and Sumire jerked as the temperature in the room spiked, banging her leg against her chair. She wasn't the only one startled - Jessiebelle was half off the couch where she'd been reclining, staring at the ceiling in thought, and Jackie raised her empty shot glass as an impromptu weapon.

"S-sorry…" Kaede said, the poker still in the now-blazing fireplace. "It's kind of cold in here…"

"S'fine, cuz, s'fine." Jessie dropped back to the couch. "Was just thinking that."

"I was thinking we've got some serious shit going on." Jackie said, pouring herself another shot. Her expression was grim. "Dark magic zombie...just once I'd like to see someone come back from the dead for a _good_ reason…"

Sumire gave her a surprised look, Kaede and Jessie frowning at her. "You've had experiences with this kind of thing before?"

"Yeah. Few years back. Old biker chief I got arrested died in prison. Two weeks later, he's back on a flaming motorcycle with black eyes and glowing lines on his body, yelling about how he's going to take my soul to the underworld." Jackie said and knocked back her shot. "Turned to dust when I kicked his ass, though."

She looked at Jessie and Kaede. "Your turn. You two said that the dead guy was your Uncle. So what do you know?"

The two exchanged looks, then Kaede spoke, tucking some of her hair behind her ear nervously. "It's not much. Uncle Ryou was always the odd guy out when our families got together. My dad says that he had a bit of an obsession with the Millenium Items, though, and always got kind of upset when Pharaoh Atem was brought up."

"Yeah, my dad said the same kind of stuff. Mom, though…" Jessie folded her arms, frowning. "She said Uncle Ryou reminded her too much like an abuse victim, with no clear line between love, hate and fear for him. After the Ring came back with that Aigami guy, he never really believed it was destroyed. 'Evil never dies, it just plays dead'. I remember him saying that a lot."

"Yeah, you're right." Kaede said with a slow nod. "I remember going on a dig with my dad when I was little, and he came with us. They were excavating this old village, Kul Elna I think it was called. He spent a lot of time just wandering around, looking at things like he was sad about all of it. When they found this underground chamber, he was the first one in. Dad said they found him in front of a giant broken tablet that had a monster on it, sobbing about how 'It was all gone!'"

"Not the actions of a sane man." Sumire said. "My mother told me stories about the Millenium Items - warnings that had passed down from the centuries. The ones about the Ring were horrific and unpleasant. And Ryou Bakura, the reincarnate of the King of Thieves who wore it, must have suffered the most…"

"According to my uncle, all of my family suffered because of that Ring." Rosemary's voice was flat, matching her expression as she entered the room. Verthandi trailed behind her. Both were dressed, and the white-haired woman had a few bandages visible underneath. "To the point he believed we were all cursed because of it."

She seated herself at the far end of the group, clasping her hands in front of her. "My uncle spent most of his adult life researching our family history and learned that every so often, the Millenium Ring would become involved. The people who had gained power and wealth, but often died in horrible ways or were killed for it, the Ring passing from owner to owner."

"Yeah, but my dad and the Pharaoh blew the Ring to pieces." Kaede said. "There was that whole thing with Aigami and his Quantum Cube."

"That did not matter to my Uncle. He felt our family line was cursed because of the long-term association with the Ring, that the fact he was the Thief King's reincarnation meant the rest of us had to have that same potential for evil." Rosemary replied, her eyes closing. "At least, until I was born."

"Yeah, he was harping on about that in between kicking Lero's ass." Jackie said, knocking back another shot. "Except you know, you're a Darkborn. Or something."

"I didn't manifest my powers until ten years ago. When he learned about them, he broke. I do not know how, but he got the Millenium Scales and tried to judge me with them." Rosemary said.

"The freaking Scales?" Jessie's jaw dropped. "How on earth did that happen? Those should have been buried in Egypt!"

"They should have but they are not." Sumire's expression was frustrated and tight. "Seto dug them up to get the Puzzle for his rematch with Pharaoh Atem. The Items were lost after Aigami's attack on him in the tomb and have been scattered to the winds. That is why my family can never go back to Egypt. Between the government and the other clans of Tomb Keepers. They want us dead for my mother's mistake in helping Seto Kaiba."

Expressions around the room fell before Rosemary spoke again. "The night my uncle tried to judge me with the Scales, I was celebrating winning Little Miss Duel Monsters competition with the Pegasus family. Lero got involved and dueled my uncle for my soul." Her fingers squeezed together so hard they went white. "He won the same way he did tonight. Summoning The Winged Dragon of Ra and slamming it into an enemy monster to use Curse of Pain to reflect the damage."

"That's...Christ, that's gotta be the worst way to use that thing!" Kaede threw up her hands. "Egyptian gods hate when you deface their shit on Earth! There's a reason they nuked Rare Hunters who used fake copies! And what Lero did was basically smashing their statues, then pissing on the rubble!"

Sumire nodded in agreement. "The gods would have been angry with such a feat, resulting in them cursing him for the desecration. But my uncle destroyed all the fakes after Battle City, so why did Bellerophon even have one?"

"_Because before we went to judge that beauty pageant, we went to retrieve the copy." _Everyone looked up to see Lero's face on the TV screen. He was still in bed, looking battered and exhausted, and was hooked up to some monitoring equipment. "_About twenty-five years ago, an I2 Designer named Franz created a copy of the Winged Dragon of Ra. He managed to make it work for him, but was beat by Jaden Yuki. Dad knew destroying a functional replica could risk angering the gods, so he stored it in the family vault. Ten years ago, it was stolen, and we tracked it to America."_

"Lero!" Jessie was on her feet. "You're okay!"

"_For most part yeah - no, don't get up." _He said as several of the girls got to their feet. "_Annalissa's got me on bedrest and no visitors. This is the best we can do until they say otherwise." _

There were a few noises of frustration from the women,, and Jackie stepped up closer to the screen. "Probably a good idea, since I'd like to smack you one for being so stupid, Sky-Horse! What the hell were you thinking, putting that card in your deck!"

"_I was ten, Jackie. Ten and very scared of a man who was trying to kill my best friend." _Lero said, his eyes flicking over to a downcast Rosemary. "_But even knowing what I do now, I'd still do it the same way."_

Rosemary just looked down at her hands.

"That explains how you got the curse, but not what the curse is." Kaede said, waving to get his attention. "What's going to happen to you?"

_"I don't know. Ra cursed me and said something about how every time I duel, the waters of my soul will evaporate. But all that's happened to me so far is that I just get fainting spells and dueling makes them worse."_

"Okay, so Sky Horse doesn't duel anymore. Not a problem." Jackie said and turned to look at Verthandi. "Next question - how the hell can you see the future? There's no way you could have dove into the ocean after them like that without knowing where they were going to hit!"

The German woman didn't even blink as all the attention fell on her. "I was born with what I've been calling a Rune Eye. Magic. It enables me to see the future, albeit in short and often confusing glimpses. Sometimes it pays off well."

"Are you a Darkborn?" Jessie asked.

"No, she's not." Rosemary said before Verthandi could answer. "None of you are."

"And how do you know that?"

"Darkborn can sense each other. It's one of our powers." Rosemary said without looking up from her hands. "It would have been apparent from the moment I arrived if more than one of us was."

Jackie rounded on her now. "So what exactly is a Darkborn?"

"You mean you don't know?" Kaede blinked in surprise. "I thought everyone knew. Every time one crops up, it's always in the news…"

"Sorry, the rock I was living under didn't have public education or news." Jackie huffed. "And don't tell me it's 'I have magic powers' because we all saw you summon some kind of invisible monster to deal get yourself and Lero off the Duel Arena."

"Twenty-two years ago, the world was consumed by Darkness. A being who drew all of humanity into a place where everyone was consumed and attacked by their worst fears. This included pregnant women." Sumire said. "As they were in the womb, their children were affected differently by the powers of that world than the rest of population, given strange and odd abilities related to darkness. Hence the name 'Darkborn'."

"What? That's not right," Jackie shook her head. "If that were only a couple of decades ago, it'd still be news!"

"_It is, and it isn't, Jackie." _Lero informed her. _"Humanity as a whole doesn't actually recall the event in its entirety. It's treated more as a collective bad dream, a primal fear that you just don't talk about. Like fear of fire or the night. Even what we've told you is considered speculation and theory."_

"It's part of the reason why Darkborn are considered bad news." Kaede finished. "They're a reminder of the time spent in Darkness for the older population and it triggers some kind of instinctive and angry response in them. Doesn't help that the power makes a lot of them become violent and dangerous…"

"Yes. That is why my uncle considered me to evil as the rest of our bloodline. We were attacked by another Darkborn, and I defended us. According to my mother, it was after the events of 'Darkness' that my uncle's search into the past grew into obsession." Rosemary didn't look up from her fingers, her voice quiet. "I can promise you I am not a danger to anyone. And I ask that you don't tell anyone about this."

"Why would I? It's not anything I have to worry about." Jackie said by way of reply and poured herself another shot. "I just wanted answers to what happened out there."

"I'd like some more answers, though." Verthandi chimed in, turning to regard Lero through the TV screen. "Ryou had Xyz monsters, cards you claimed to have invented only recently. But his deck was the same as it was ten years ago. So how did that happen?"

"_'Invent' might be a strong word." _Lero admitted slowly, his tone unsure. _"Xyzs - and Synchros - have shown up before, though the knowledge I2 has is very limited on them. I simply took what we did know and extrapolated on it to build the new systems."_

"Well, there is precedent for cards appearing out of the blue…" Jessie said as the rest of the group looked unconvinced. "I mean, Dartz created a bunch of Orichalcos-related cards and Dark Cards are a thing, too. Plus Uncle Ryou had the Scales on him…"

"That does not explain much - if Millenium Items could create cards, they would have done so during the time they were all active." Sumire said.

"_Look, I know where you're going with this and believe me, I want to tell you. But I can't._" Lero said with more a touch of frustration. _"Some of it is company secrets, some of it needs to be kept in the Pegasus family."_

"Then it is lucky I will be both." Sumire said with a determined nod. "I will have my answers after we win this tournament."

"_Fine with me. But with that in mind, it's well past midnight and we should all get some sleep. There's still time before the tournament and we're going to need every minute to practice." _

TTTTTTT

Despite Lero's instructions for all of them to rest, sleep was hard come by in Pegasus Castle that night.

Plato dozed in a chair next to his charge's bed, snapping awake even at the slightest movement to ensure Lero was still resting himself.

Tesla was sprawled out on her desk amidst a layer of energy drinks and sodas, caffeine finally having failed her. But the work continued, the computer running simulations and scans over the island's Duel Arenas and topography to figure and apply a mathematical explanation as to why a dead man had been walking.

Dr. Annalissa slept in a bed, but the lights were on and her bedmate was a spread of open books detailing curses, magic and its relation to Duel Monsters.

Maximillion slept ever on, as he had for the last two years. Though his expression was no longer peaceful, he had a flicker of strained unease over it now and again. As if he were suffering bad dreams, or the sudden feelings of darkness that had infected the castle had also reached its master.

Rosemary spent more time staring at the ceiling than closing her eyes, wondering just what she could do to ever make up what happened to Lero.

Sumire took comfort in the blazing lights of her room and slept soundly, though with a knife in easy reach under her pillow.

Jessie and Raymon cuddled together, the blonde spooning him with a tight grip to chase away the cold memories of her inability to help and fear for her friends.

Kaede sprawled over her bed like a limp noodle, quietly snoring with a brush at her bedside to battle the explosion that would be her hair in the morning.

Jackie slept on her back, straightjacket a comforting familiarity over her blanket and her mask a comforting protection against whatever might be out there.

Verthandi slept and with all things she did, did so with grace.

And Lero.

Lero dreamed.

TTTTTTT

_Heat._

_So much heat. _

_Lero plodded ahead, determinedly putting one foot in front of the other and refusing to think about anything else. Not the wind searing at his skin or the sand it whipped up, digging at him like daggers. Not the glare of the sunlight off the dunes harsh in his eyes or the endless, pounding heat from all sides that already sapped him of his sweat._

_He refused to think about any of it. Acknowledging it would make it worse, would let it win. And even if he was one man against an entire desert, he was going to win this battle of willpower. _

_He crested the dune and kept going, ignoring how the sands stretched in all directions all the way to the horizon line. And how that flat, empty horizon made his heart shiver in fear of the sheer emptiness around him. No life, no movement._

_Just him and the sound of his heavy, straining footsteps on the sand. _

_He could only ignore for so long, because no matter how he engaged it, walking did not require that much brainpower. So he began to think. And question. Why was he here? How did he get here? How had he not died? And where was he going?_

_The desert deigned not to answer him and kept battering him with wind, sand, heat and dryness. _

_The sand slipped, shifted the wrong way as he pushed off with his heel. Lero stumbled, tried to catch himself and failed, rolling down the dune into a small valley that sadly offered no shade._

_But it did offer something other than sand. Lero staggered to his feet, ignoring the sand digging into his body and how his dried lip felt like it had split. The thing was half-buried, enormous and metallic. Judging from how the winds and sand had corroded and gouged out the metal, it must have been there awhile._

_Instinctively, he reached for the thing and brushed at it. The sand came away to reveal some undamaged metal underneath. Was that an eye? And a mouth below that. In fact...he turned to see a second head nearby, jutting up from the sand like a mockery of a fountain. And a third, buried all the way as if hiding._

_A chill crawled up his spine as he stepped back and back and back, unable to ignore what his brain had deduced. He swallowed - a hard, painful experience - as a large, fan-like wing finally drove the point._

_This was the wreck of Cyber End Dragon._

_How-? Why-? _

_Light flared off some revealed metal and he turned on an instinct he didn't know, looking towards the burning, blazing sun above. He squinted into it, and as he did, it the light began to sear down at him. Wrathful and enraged._

"_You who have tried to demand of the gods, to dare gaze upon he whom you tried to use, know that your pride has doomed you! For each transgression, you shall be reduced to the clay from which you were formed!"_

_The voice was a deep one, like the sun itself was speaking. Lero shielded his face as the sunlight intensified, but it was useless. The heat grew and grew until he smelled burnt fabric as his clothing shredded away. Then he stared in horror as his skin dried in front of his eyes, cracks spreading like spiderwebs everywhere and pieces of him tumbling away. _

_Flesh turned to clay._

_He screamed as the wind tore him to pieces, but the desert stole even his words and then his eyes crumbled to dust- _

TTTTTTT

Duelist Kingdom did not sleep.

It had only just woken up.

Conceived between Father War and Mother Nature, it had been brought into the world by the violence of WWII. The angry and wrathful souls of the dead and the dying had nurtured it, their blood anointing it as their shared mass graveyard.

When Maximillion Pegasus had come to it decades later, built his castle and printed the first Duel Monsters cards here, it had begun to suffer from restless dreams as fate, destiny and the world met upon it and agreed to put their pieces into play.

When the Shadow Games had come, the magic and pain from the Millenium Items had resonated with the island's damned, and so those dreams had become nightmares. The souls banished to the darkness had been subsumed by the dead already there.

When Darkness had eaten the world, the island's nightmares had become worse and so it started to lash out in its sleep. Spirits of the dead, malignant and wrathful, but nothing but the blind flailing of someone not in control of their body. Things that Maximillion Pegasus and Plato had dealt with and attributed to the ever-growing collection of magical artifacts in the Vault.

It had gotten close to dealing with them when by chance, the random collection of souls that were its heart had spat out the giant man. The giant man who had dueled the boy cursed by magic. That, too, had irritated it like a bug bite in the middle of the night.

When Lero and Ryou had dueled, the blaze of the sun god had woken it. And upon waking up, its first true sign of awareness and realization was not a thought, but an emotion.

Anger.

Its second true sign of awareness was a desire to act on that anger.

The third true sign of awareness was the realization that it's anger would be fulfilled. Not yet, but soon.

Soon.

TTTTTTT

The next day would dawn with the same sense of inevitability as it always had for the last week. Just one more day closer to the tournament where so much hung in the balance.

Verthy refused to let it ruin her day, so she woke before the sun. And went through her morning routine of a shower, a cup of tea and a leisurely brushing of her hair. The events of the previous night kept her from enjoying it as much as she would have liked, but there was something of a grim hope in the whole thing. The others had taken her revelation of her future sight without much question. True, there had been a lot of revelations during that conversation, but not so much that her Rune Eye would have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Time would tell how well the news would go done once everyone had properly absorbed it, but the German woman had a feeling that it would ultimately cause comparatively little fuss in the wake of everything else going on. _After all, I have an eye for this sort of thing._

The bad pun reminded her of Lero, and that brought a smile to her lips as she finished getting dressed. It lingered as she slid from her room and lasted until she made it to the end of the hallway and heard the telltale sniffles of someone crying.

A check on the nameplate revealed it to be Rosemary's and Verthy knocked on the door. "Rosie? May I come in?"

The sniffling stopped and there was the sound of a nose being blown before it was followed by a watery."Sure."

Verthy opened the door and stepped inside. Rosemary looked like she'd been halfway through her own morning routine, given the abandoned hairbrush and makeup kit on the bed. Even with bedhead and tears, the white-haired woman still looked beautiful.

_She'll look more beautiful when she's smiling again. _That thought in mind, Verthy seated herself next to Rosemary and passed her another tissue from the box on the bed. "Here you are, dear."

"Thank you." Rosemary said and blew her nose again. "Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for. Last night was horrible." Verthy said and passed her another tissue. "You held yourself together when it counted and saved both of your lives. I think you're allowed more than a few tears now."

"You are very kind. Thank you." Rosemary said and wiped at her face.

"You're welcome, Rosie." Verthy replied, watching the other woman pick at her nightgown. "You have gotten remarkably good at guilting yourself over the years I've known you, dear."

"It's an easy thing to do when it's true. If it weren't for me, Lero would be able to duel. He wouldn't have to deal with his curse. And even when I came here to help him, I nearly got him killed." Rosemary said without looking at her.

"You mustn't blame yourself. You had no more control of your uncle somehow coming back to life than you do over the sun or the moon." Verthy said gently.

"It's not about having control or not. It's about the fact I exist. If I didn't exist…." Rosemary seemed to stop herself, then found some new words. "Last night would have never happened."

"True, perhaps. But you cannot control anything in life but yourself. And I don't think taking the blame for this will make you or Lero any happier." Verthy soothed, rubbing the other woman's back as she passed her another tissue. Seeing Rosemary's gaze continue to stare at her lap, she continued. "If you want anyone to pin the blame on for last night, then I am afraid I am the first choice."

Rosemary blinked, the flow of tears stopped by the sudden spurt of confusion. "...what?"

Verthy sat back, gesturing to her eye. "My Rune Eye. It showed me a vision while I was with Lero earlier and I pushed you two together instinctually." Seeing Rosemary frown at her, she continued. "My visions. Sometimes what I see comes with feelings, urges to push things down a path. Like putting you and Lero together so that you might spark something."

"...you saw us getting together?" Rosemary asked.

"Yes. And no." Verthy sighed at Rosemary's look. "This is why I do not tell people I can see the future. It makes things very difficult and awkward."

"Verthy, what did you see?"

"I saw…" To Rosemary's surprise, the German woman's cheeks matched her hair. "I saw us. Lero in a bed. You and I were cradled up to him on either side, naked under the sheets. And you were smiling, talking, saying how you were so grateful that you were able to find some happiness and love. That you embraced who you were as a Darkborn because it brought us all together. Then the vision cut off and when we ran into you in the hallway, I felt the overwhelming urge to foist Lero on you."

Her expression fell. "If I had not done that, you two would not have been on the beach and would have not been vulnerable to that ghoul who attacked you."

"No, you can't blame yourself for that." Rosemary said quickly. "You had no idea that was going to happen. And being attacked like that is outside of your control, Verthy."

"I see. Wise words." Verthy smiled a bit. "Then why not apply the same logic to when you were attacked ten years ago?"

Rosemary blinked, startled, and then buried her chin in her pillow. "That's not fair...that's different."

"Is it really?" Verthy pressed, still stroking her back. "You were a child, Rosemary. So was Lero. And when you were attacked, you defended yourselves the only way you knew how. Lero's curse is not your fault and assuming all the guilt for it will not make anything better."

The logic made sense, but Rosemary still stared at her lap. "You say that...but…"

"Feelings are difficult," Verthy finished. "But I know Lero doesn't blame you for anything nor does anyone else. And you deserve happiness, dear. I would think my little vision is a good indicator that you've got some coming due."

The British woman considered that. "Are you saying he gets with both of us?"

"The vision indicated that. But there's no surrounding context. And my visions are not always perfect. I once saw myself holding a winning lottery ticket when I was a child, but as it turns out it was a silly school raffle and all of the tickets were winners." Verthy said with a sigh. "To be frank, the visions are often nothing more than an educated guess about events."

"Jessiebelle mentioned that one of the laws of Duelist Kingdom allowed people to have multiple spouses. And Sumire gave us permission to be with Lero." Rosemary didn't bother to hide her irritation at that decision. "Is there a timeframe for your visions?"

"I have charted some of them, just to see." Verthy admitted. "And the average time between seeing a vision and it coming to pass is about six months."

"Six months." Rosemary let out an amused huff, shaking her head. "That's a little absurd. I'm not bisexual, Lero and I don't know if we want to be together, I know I don't have it in me to share. And my being Darkborn...if that gets out…" Her mother's angry face crossed her mind, and she hugged her pillow tighter. "There'll be hell to pay."

"As I said, dear, there isn't any context for the vision. It could very well be some absurd excuse that gets us in that scenario." Verthy said. "And it is not an absolute truth, either. They're just...very likely ones."

"An absolute truth beats a likely one every time," Rosemary said, half to herself. Seeing Verthandi frown, she waved it away. "It's nothing."

"Well, seeing as it's nothing, perhaps we should move on with our day." Verthy said and picked up the abandoned hairbrush. "Let's start by taming the wild cloud that is your hair, shall we?"

TTTTTTT

"No, we are not going home!" Jessie stared at her boyfriend like he'd grown a second head. "How could you even think that!"

"That's right!" Kaede said with a firm nod. "We came here to help Lero, and that's what we're going to do!"

"By risking your careers in this tournament? Not to mention your lives!" Raymond glanced between them in frustration. "A dead man just came back to life and nearly killed two people! And didn't Lero duel another dead person a few days ago? This place is dangerous!"

"And just up and ditching Lero and everyone else is going is a better idea?" Jessie snapped back.

"If it keeps us safe, then yes!"

"Do you not realize who our families are?" Kaede asked, folding her arms. "This kind of stuff _always _happens. I know you've read her parent's biographies."

"But that was the past, back when those Millenium Item things were still around." Raymon argued. "There's no reason to rush headlong into things now when you know how dangerous it is!"

Jessie grit her teeth and counted backwards from ten in her head before opening her mouth. "We run now and we'll never be able to live with myself. And this magical bullshit that's happening is seperate from the Bride Tournament! If we leave, Lero doesn't have enough duelists and then he loses his company and Duel Monsters and we're out of jobs!"

"There are other jobs in the world besides Duel Monsters, Jessie!" Raymon shot back. He took a steadying breath and when he spoke again, his voice was calmer. "If you duel and lose, then your rep is tanked. Not only that, I know this Yoshito guy is going to find a way to make you pay for it."

"So? He's no worse than other rich bastards we beat all the time. Hell, I'm an Eliminator. I get everyone from rich bitches to kids' parents screaming at me for ruining their duels." Kaede informed him. "And Jessie's a Pro Leaguer. You think Yoshito's going to be harder to deal with than a stadium of people booing you for beating their favorite?"

Raymon looked between them, looking lost before he just sat on the edge of the bed with a frustrated sigh. "I know to you two that this is nothing new. That magical things happen and you all roll with it. But the rest of the world isn't like that, alright? This stuff is scary and dangerous, and it turns a fun game into matters of life and death. How you can expect me not to be scared of the idea it could be you on the flaming platform instead of Lero, Jessie?"

Jessie's ire dropped away, and she sat down next to him, pulling him into her side. "I hadn't thought of that. And I'm sorry I didn't. But you can't expect me to not get angry when you just spring this wanting to leave on me like this. This is important to me."

"And you're important to me." Raymon took her hand in his. "I know you want to help your friend, but you shouldn't have to do it by risking everything you've got so far."

"Would you be happy being with me if I'm so soft on my commitments?" Jessie asked pointedly. "I'm not just doing this for Lero. The whole of Duel Monsters is at stake, and Duel Monsters is my life. I can't just let it get taken away when I can do something about it."

Raymon didn't look convinced, and she squeezed his hand. "Please trust me? I promise I can handle this." She cupped his face and pressed her forehead against his. "Just like I handle everything you throw at me…"

That brought a little smile on his face and an eye roll from Kaede. The Eliminator then coughed into politely as the two began to kiss, only to let her jaw a drop a bit as Jessie held up a finger for her to wait. "Oh for - Aunt Mai is right! You're shameless!"

Jessie finally broke the kiss after a minute and smirked. "Just confident in our love, so why hide it?"

"There's a fine line between the two, cuz." Kaede said pointedly and then rolled her eyes against as they kissed a second time. "Fine, whatever! Now this little crisis is over, I'm going back to doing research on the duelists Yoshito hired. Not like that isn't important or anything…!"

Seeing them both were still preoccupied, Kaede turned and slid from the room, muttering under her breath.

"She's a lot more like your mom than she is her own," Raymon commented after she'd gone. "Your Aunt Serenity is like the sweetest woman ever, but Kaede snarks like your mom."

"Eh, Wheeler family traits tend to zig-zag instead of skipping generations." Jessie shrugged and then squeaked as he tilted them over to their sides on the bed. "Hey!"

"That's for horses," Raymon corrected her and leaned into kiss her again. "And this is for couples." He stroked her side, squeezed her fingers on his own. "And we are a couple. So I'll support you."

"Thank you." Jessie squeezed back and smiled at him. "I promise you won't regret this, Raymon. I'll be careful. And we're going to win this thing. You'll see."

"Mmm - don't think I can." Raymon said as he rolled atop her and kissed her again. "That beautiful smile of yours is blinding. Could probably light up the room."

"Wanna find out?" Jessie kissed him again and reached for the bedside lamp's pull chain.

TTTTTTT

Sumire wondered if this is what it was like for Bellerophon. The anxious waiting, the hum of machines both reassuring and irritating, the incessant worry that the moment's distraction would cause her to miss something so vital.

"He will wake up, you know."

She turned away from the sleeping Bellerophon to see Plato standing at the foot of the bed. He'd showered and refreshed himself and was holding a tray with steaming coffee mugs on it. "I know he will. Dr. Annalissa said he is suffering from exhaustion and energy drain from the duel and his high stress levels over the last few weeks. Apparently, this is not the first time this has happened in the last two years."

"Exhausting himself to the point of sleeping for a day or so, no. Duels where dead men walk again, yes." Plato passed her one of the mugs, helped himself to the other. "His father and I made sure he didn't deal with too much like that while growing up. Being an orphan on Cairo streets was bad enough."

Sumire took a drink. She was not fond of coffee, but the bitterness and heat jolted her awake more than any energy drink would have. "Are magical events like this common here, then?"

"No, not at all. The incidents I was referring to happened elsewhere in the world. Connected to Duel Monsters, of course, but they were usually someone possessed by a Duel Spirit. Or dug up some artifacts they shouldn't have. When he was younger, Lero thought they were terribly exciting and would always ask to see what Master Pegasus brought home before he put it in the Vault." Plato said with a smile, but it wasn't very bright as he regarded his still-slumbering charge. "He wore his father down, eventually. That's why he was there when Master Pegasus retrieved the Winged Dragon of Ra copy."

"Given what my family has shared about the Egyptian God Cards and their wrath, I can see Pegasus desperate to reclaim it." Sumire said. "But how did it get stolen in the first place?"

"We were collecting some energy samples from it for Mystic Science research and the person who was taking them decided he'd make more money from selling it on the black market than working for us." Plato explained. "Master Pegasus just tracked him down, bought it back off the black market and then fired him. It was a simple retrieval, and he was glad for it given Lero was with him. Then they went to judge the Little Miss Duel Monsters competition and...well, you know the rest."

"Yes." Sumire nodded and took another drink of coffee to jolt her sluggish mind into action. "Mystic Science. I have not heard of that before."

Plato smiled in a knowing fashion. "Being part of the Kaiba family, I doubt you would field has only been around for about fifteen years ago. It has to deal with studying and understanding the magical phenomenon of the world and its relation to everything else. Particularly Duel Monsters."

"How do you study such a thing?" Sumire was curious now. "Magic, such as it is, isn't a state of matter and its effects in the world are often only visible after the fact."

"Magical things, like the Egyptian God Cards and the Millenium Items do give off an energy, however. We may not be able to measure it like anything else, but we can measure the effects it has on other things. Though most of the research is on more intangible things such as stories, legends and myths and seeing how they interconnect." Plato said and pointed with his coffee mug out the window. "Like Crimson Star out there."

Sumire followed his gaze. It took her a moment, but she found it. Tucked away just above the horizon was a faint red star. "That is magical?"

"Mystic Science says it may very well be. Master Pegasus has found references to it all across the globe in his research for Duel Monsters, particularly in South America. It seems to show up every few thousand years and heralds some kind of conflict as it grows closer and brighter." Plato explained. "The running theory is that the Crimson Star exerts some kind of 'magic gravity', causing magical events here on Earth to occur in spontaneous and strange ways."

"That sounds a little too familiar at the moment." Sumire said with a frown. "Could the events of last night and the duel with Panik be a result of this Star's influence?"

"No idea. The records from five thousand years ago were not the most detailed and even if they were, how could we prove it? The purpose of Mystic Science is to create reliable explanations and not ascribe everything unknowable to something else unknowable to relieve one of the burdens of proof." Plato said. "You might as well turn to religion if you want to that."

"I don't have the patience for religion." Sumire said in amusement.

"I find myself agreeing with you," Plato said with a smile. "Though I will say magic and religion intertwine in interesting and unique ways. Both tend to claim that individuals born under a certain star or constellation, for example, tend to be destined for great things or herald disaster. In fact, Master Pegasus says that Bellerophon, if his age his accurate, was born shortly after the Crimson Star first became visible in Egypt."

"I see." Sumire couldn't help frowning, glancing in concern at the sleeping heir. "Destiny and my family have a very adversarial relationship. I do not find that prospect as cheery or engaging as others might. Bellerophon is struggling through so much as it is. For good or ill, a destiny would far more than he needs."

"Once again, we are in agreement. The young master has been given enough impossible tasks; he does not need anymore." Plato sipped his coffee. "Speaking of impossible tasks, I should go and get the cook so we can get started on breakfast for the castle."

"Yes. We did not ever get that pizza last night." Sumire said with a nod. "Would it be too much to ask for -"

Whatever she wanted was lost as a low and deep roar shook the castle. It felt far too familiar and Sumire shoved her coffee back at Plato so she could sprint for the window. Her fingers dug into the windowsill as she a camo-colored jet pulled out of its banking turn so it could into a water landing next to Duelist Kingdom. "Yoshito! He is here!"

"But why?" Plato was right behind her, his expression tight with concern. "The tournament isn't for ten days!"

Something cold settled into Sumire's spine as she considered those words. "Plato...was the date for the tournament officially announced? Yoshito told us when he wanted to have it, but if there was never anything official…"

She heard Plato swear under his breath and saw his holoscreen pop out of his watch out of the corner of her eye. Then he swore again. "No. But there is a link at the end of the commercial to follow and it takes you to a countdown page for the tournament start."

The cold thing became frostbite. "How much time is left?"

Plato's voice was flat. "Thirty minutes. Sunrise."

Sumire would have bet anything that the timer had been put in place when the commercial had launched, but it had been moved up. "There's no reason to do it now unless he knew about last night! How did he know? The Board?!"

"I do not know, but the Board just sent me an email 'reminding me' that Lero's team is to be ready to go and presentable. The tournament is being broadcast live."

Sumire felt her heart clench. She could see figures exiting the parked plane now. A group of six in the lead that had to be Yoshito and his five chosen duelists and more people with what looked like cameras and other filming equipment. Her mind raced - should they wake Bellerophon? Could they, given his condition? And what would happen to his reputation, to his company's, if the world learned he was bedridden on the day of this tournament for reasons he couldn't explain?

And it wasn't even daylight yet - she wasn't in a fit state for cameras and neither would be any of the other girls. Thirty minutes wouldn't be even enough to do their hair, let alone, eat, shower, dress and grab decks. _They have not even gotten any of Bellerophon's new cards!_ "Plato - how do we stall?"

The manservant's thick swallow was audible. "I have no idea."

As if matching her racing mind, footsteps came barreling down the hall and she turned to see Kaede come flying around the doorway in dark purple pjs and her hair an explosion of red and magenta. She almost plowed into Lero's bed, caught herself and then fought for her breath. "Just - saw - Yoshito land - Internet's exploded about the tournament - mom woke me with a message about it-" She sucked down a few more breaths. "Jackie's gone off - to stall, have the first duel-!"

"She's what!?" Sumire demanded but this time her answer was a roar of a motor and she spun back to the window just in time to see a motorcycle go barreling down the castle's steps, a dark black trenchcoat fluttering behind like a pair of wings. "Is she even ready?"

"Think so - Lero said once, she doesn't sleep much…" Kaede said between breaths.

Sumire forced out her anger along with a breath. "There is nothing for it. It is what it is and we have to make use of every minute she can give us! Plato, make the fastest breakfast you can!" She was marching over to Kaede as she spoke, pulling her out of the room. "Kaede, throw yourself in the shower and then we are going to tame your hair!"

"But that takes forever! And food's more important!"

"You can eat your toast in the shower!"

TTTTTTT

Jackie was waiting for when Yoshito and his entourage crested the path that would lead them to the steps of Pegasus Castle. Her lips curled in a sneer at the sight of the well-dressed youth. He had Lero's youthful good looks and sense of poise, but everything about him oozed greed and selfishness.

"Well, hello there, Jackie." Yoshito said with a polite bow. But only she knew it was to hide his smirk at her twitch when he used her name. Showing off he'd done his research on them all. "Are you here to guide us to the castle?"

"No, just to the underworld." Jackie said as she raised her Bleeding Edge Disk. She pointed at the five men standing behind him wearing similar models. "So go ahead and pick your first sacrifice."

"What bold words." Yoshito said as he straightened, smirking more casual amusement now. Behind him, camera people stepped out to get the duel field in several different angles. "But isn't that a bit rude for a tournament, just challenging us before we've reached the venue?"

"You're the challenger, you don't get to set the rules. Lero does. And he says the venue is wherever he wants it to be." Jackie corrected him, baring her teeth a mocking smile. "Besides, a punk rat like you doesn't have any right to complain about rudeness when he launches the tournament ten days early and comes rolling in before dawn. It's almost like you're scared of losing." Her smile grew as Yoshito's eyes narrowed. "Whoops, did I just accuse you of obvious cowardice on live TV? My bad."

"She's got you there, Yoshito!" Laughter erupted behind Yoshito from his duelists and he shot them a glare, only to be pushed aside as one of them stepped forwards. He was a skeleton of a man, made doubly so given how he towered almost everyone else. Clad only in leather pants, his bare torso was decorated in full-body tattoos of crosses and gravestones, his chest containing the spreading wings of a weeping angel.

His Duel Disk almost looked too much for his arm to bear as he raised and he activated it. "Don't get so mad when your cheap play is read for what it is."

Yoshito looked like he wanted to snap something back, but restrained himself as one of the cameras swept around from the opposite side to get his duelist - and himself - in shot. "Strategy is strategy and success speaks for itself. Won't it, Crypt?"

Crypt nodded, his smile revealing black/silver teeth that gave off eerie flashes in the early morning gloom. "I hope you're ready to enjoy your last sunrise, Jackie. Because I'm going to be the one burying you in hell in this duel!"

"So you'll be sending me home?" Jackie's own smile leered out from under her mask and the faint first lights of the sun revealed the tatters of her straitjacket fluttering in the cold. The colors of her mask sucked up every scrap of the light, leaving her bangs framing nothing but void of face with nothing but a smirk. Yoshito's eyes widened slightly and so her smirk grew more deranged as she drank in that pleasure. "Hell won't like that - they kicked me out for a reason!"

TTTTTT

_Next time, the first duel of the tournament begins! Ahead of schedule, out of place and done in desperation, but it begins! _

_Next Chapter: Vs Crypt! Hell vs Undead!_


	9. Vs Crypt! Hell vs Undead!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 9: Vs Crypt! Hell vs Undead!

_Ladies, gentlemen, people of the world! This is Cathy Cathy, reporting to you live from Duelist Kingdom where the historic Bride Tournament has just gotten underway! In Pegasus Castle behind him lies the hidden treasure of the dueling world, Sumire Kaiba! The hidden daughter of the man, the myth and the legend himself, Seto Kaiba!_" The woman's clothing was as flashy as her speech, purple, red and green all flaring in sympathy with her dramatics. "_Her mere existence has sent shockwaves around the world! Engaged to both Bellerophon Pegasus and Yoshito Decrall through marriage contracts drawn up decades ago, they now compete to earn her favor! A modern-day fairy tale!"_

Camera drones flitted around her, one following the signal tracker she pressed secretly under her costume's sleeve to settle on the group of individuals standing before the steps leading up to the castle. _"Yoshito has swept in before dawn's first light, ready to battle his way into the castle to rescue his princess!"_

Over the way, Yoshito caught the comparison and chuckled to himself. "That's something I hadn't considered." He glanced over at the two duelists - Jackie and Crypt were shuffling each other's decks. "So I suppose that makes you the big bad dragon guarding the door, Jackie."

To his surprise, she didn't even deign to glance at him. She and Crypt were shuffling each other's decks, her eyes glancing over the sobbing angel who tattoed over his skeletal frame. "Damn cool tats. That angel looks like it's a gate to hell."

"That's because it is. When I duel, it opens and my opponents burn in the flames of hell itself." Crypt returned, his easy smile malignant thanks to the silver/black lights playing over his teeth. "Damn cool mask. Looks like a window to the void."

"That's because it is." Jackie smiled back at him as they passed their decks back to each other, her mask and the dark of early morning leaving her resembling a nightmare Cheshire Cat.

"It's rude to ignore the rest of your guests." Seeing that neither duelist was paying him the slightest bit of attention, a twitch appeared above Yoshito's eye.

Jackie didn't look at him as she stepped back to her point in front of the steps. "You ready to do this, Pro?"

"Hey now, don't be slinging that title like an insult. I earned it the hard way." Crypt said with good humour as his own disk actvated. "Be happy to show you how."

"Excuse me." Yoshito said, the twitch above his eye growing.

Jackie made a show of looking over at him and looking surprised even through her mask. "What? You still here? I thought that squeaking was just a mouse."

"I beg your pardon?" Yoshito bite out, frowning as Crypt and the other Pros laughed. "Is there a reason you're being so rude to me?"

"Don't you get it yet, Squeaks?" Even with her mask, it was easy to see Jackie's ruthless disapproval. "You aren't anything here. This is Duelist Kingdom. Your money isn't worth the paper it's printed on. Here, the ruling class is the duelist. And since you didn't have the balls to put on a Duel Disk, just shut your trap before I wipe you off my boot like the dog crap you are."

TTTTTT

"Jackie has got quite the wicked tongue." Sumire was watching the events progress on a desktop monitor, unable to hide her smirk as it switched to Yoshito's face. His startled look was rapidly becoming anger and she relished watching him fight to hold it in for the cameras. "I can see why Bellerophon likes her."

"She has always been an honest person. Master Pegasus found her brutal truthiness 'refreshing'. So did Master Lero." Plato was standing attentively behind her. "At least until he made a mistake and she ripped him apart."

"Mistake?"

"A personal matter between them, having to deal with why she wears that mask." Plato said in a tone suggested he wasn't going to speak any further on the matter. "Suffice to say, she's fully capable of destroying anyone she sets her mind to."

"Yet another reason I find myself liking her." Sumire watched as the duelists finished shuffling and marched to their respective sides of the playing field. "What about her dueling skills?"

"Unique." Plato said and offered nothing more than an amused smile when Sumire gave him a curious glance.

TTTTTT

"LET'S DUEL!" (JLP: 8000) (CLP: 8000)

Crypt drew his opening hand, smirking sharply. "You can talk the talk, but let's see how you walk the walk! Especially when you're right up against the gates of hell! I draw!" He yanked the card free and flipped it around. "The spell card Fusion Conscription! I add one fusion material monster from my deck to my hand and I think I'll pick my Skull Knight #2!"

The card jumped into his hand and then a lanky warrior in white plate armor and a strange monster of criss-crossing strands and dangling ribbon claws appeared above him. "Now I use Polymerization, using Versago the Destroyer in place of the Skull Mariner I want to fuse with Skull Knight!"

Brackish water erupted onto his field alongside a cackling laugh. Then it dropped down, revealing a skeleton dressed in a bright red surge coat and wearing a tri-corner hat. He slashed his cutlass through the air and brandished a barrel-sized hook hand with the air. "Captain Lock is fusion summoned!" (0/0)

"Tch, so what?" Jackie snorted. "So far, mister I-trap-my-opponents-in-hell, I'm not impressed. Was expecting fire, not water."

"There's more to hell than flames." Crypt warned her as he grabbed another card. "I set this face-down and end my turn."

"Draw." Jackie snapped up her card, grabbing a card from among her hand. "First, I summon-" She paused as her Duel Disk flashed a warning at her and she stared at the five broad X's covering her monster zones. "What?!"

"Captain Lock is living up to his name is what. As long as he's on the field, neither of us can summon a monster from our hands." Crypt chuckled as Jackie glared. "You didn't think a Pro would just go easy on you?"

_Can't summon from the hand...but the only options I have are from my Extra Deck, the banished pile and my graveyard. But the last two are empty and I don't have the pieces to fusion summon. Just freaking great! _Jackie grabbed cards from her hand. "I set three cards face-down! End turn!"

"During the End Phase, I reveal my trap card by equipping it to Captain Lock!" The card flipped up, it's picture showing Ha Des ordering an Opticlops who in turn was ordering a Winged Minion. "Pact Hierarchy!"

He drew for his turn, grunting as an angry glow surrounded him. "During my Standby Phase, I have to pay one thousand life points to keep my card in play! But it's worth it, because by paying for the pact, I can use the trap's other effect!" (CLP: 8000-7000)

Water burbled up onto his field again, spitting out a treasure chest. It popped open, a ugly little demon of goo peeking free with a fang-filed sneer. "I can summon a Fiend-type monster from my deck whose level is less than Captain Lock's! And Fiend Slime Mold says during my Standby Phase, I can pay five hundred life points to summon out another one! So I'll be going three for three!" (CLP: 7000-6500-6000) (500/800)

Jackie grimaced as two more Fiend Slime Molds appeared on his field, clenching her cards tightly. _He locked down both our hands, but still got a bunch of monsters on the field! _

"This is the kind of hell I bring, Jackie - not the raw fire and pain of what most people think of, but the cold despair of their own helplessness! And the grave I'm about to put you in won't be any warmer! First, Mystical Space Typhoon destroys Pact Hierarchy and Captain Lock along with it!" Crypt slammed the card into his disk and a howling wind blew the trap apart, the pirate skeleton letting out a cry before he blew apart as well.

Crypt flipped around another card. "Then Pot of Greed, so I draw two cards." Snapping them up, he swept one into his disk. "Then I play Last Will! But for this card to come into play, a monster on my field has to go to the graveyard. But I'll send two there with my Contract to the Abyss! By offering six stars worth of monsters to this ritual, I can call out this monster from my hand!"

Two of the Fiend Slime Molds screamed as black fire sprang to life around them. It burned through their chests, then evaporated them away as it billowed larger thanks to the fuel. The flames became a roiling thick cloud of heavy smoke and that began spark with blue lightning. Jackie braced herself as a form became visible in it, followed by a demonic roar that scattered the cloud to reveal a demon of bone-and-muscle there. "What? Since when is Summoned Skull blue!?" (2500/1200)

"This isn't Summoned Skull, but Archfiend's Awakening. A Summoned Skull who has gained even greater power through dark rituals. But that's not the only path to power Summoned Skull has - I'll show you with the effect of Last Will! Now I summon a monster with less than fifteen hundred attack points from my deck!" Crypt fanned out his deck and grabbed a card from it. "I think Witch of the Black Forest in defense mode will do nicely."

A woman in dark robes appeared kneeling in front of him, her eyes closed while a third on her forehead stared straight at Jackie. (1100/1200)

Crypt grabbed another card from his hand, his graveyard glowing. "Fusion Recovery adds Versago and Polymerization back to my hand so I can use them both again! But this time, Versago is taking the place of Summoned Skull!"

Purple lightning shot down out of the clear blue sky, striking his Witch. She screamed as it burned her so hard that she ignited. The flames ate her away and billowed in size, hungry for more. The purple lightning danced around them and Jackie watched as a new bone-and-flesh demon appeared in its depths. "He's got a fusion, too?"

"A Summoned Skull who gained power by devouring the souls of demons!" Crypt declared as his new monster roared and summoned crackling between its claws. "Archfiend's Manifestation!" (2500/1200)

He chuckled as his the wails of his witch lingered on the playing field. "And since my Witch was sent to the graveyard, I can add a monster with fifteen hundred or less defense from my deck to my hand. So I'll pick…" He fanned out his deck again and then grabbed his card. "This one. And I'll summon it, too."

With a cartoony cackle, a little floating demon appeared in front of him. It held a tuning fork in one hand and a baton in the other and bore a toothy grin that was a bit too big to be comical. "This monster is Dark Resonator." (1300/800)

"You say that like I'm supposed to be impressed." Jackie scoffed, folding her arms. But her eyes were darting over to Yoshito. Compared to his earlier anger, the businessman was smiling in ruthless expectation. _Whenever guys like him smile, it's not good for anyone but them…_

Yoshito noticed the look, his grin spreading. _You can mock me all you want, woman, but dueling's just another kind of war! And the best way to win a war is to have the best weapons!_

"If you aren't impressed, then I guess working for the man behind the game isn't all it's cracked up to be! See, Dark Resonator is a Tuner monster, the kind of monster that unlocks Synchro Summoning!" Crypt thrust a finger into the air. "So let's show the world how it's done! I tune my level three Dark Resonator and my level three Fiend Slime Mold together!"

Dark Resonator tapped its instruments together, generating a ringing noise that caused it to split apart into three motes of light. They circled into rings around Fiend Slime Mold, the monster becoming a framework of its former self before erupting into a pillar of white light. "_The roar of lightning conducts a symphony of screams! Harmonize demonic power and the raging storm to transcend your limitations! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Archfiend's Call!"_

The pillar of light erupted into crackling white lightning, a blinding glow that faded only to reveal a new Summoned Skull monster. Larger than the other two, a great metal ring along its back sparked and surged with lightning. "I think I like this look the best for Summoned Skull, don't you?" (2500/1200)

"It's just another demon with a light show." Jackie said sneered. "For the world's first Synchro Summon, it's not all that impressive. It's not even stronger than the other two!"

Crypt just chuckled. "Well, if it's attack points you're worried about, then Archfiend's Manifestation has got you covered. Since all my monsters are treated as Summoned Skull, he gives them all five hundred extra attack points!" Lighting surged around all three monsters wildly. (2500-3000x3)

_"Sun and stars, I don't believe it! It's only Crypt's second turn but he's already summoned up enough attack points to deliver a One-Turn-Kill! And with Jackie's field bare of any monsters to defend her, she better hope that her set cards can stop this storm heading her way!" _

"There's not a chance in hell she can!" Crypt snapped out his hand. "Archfiend's Awakening! Attack her life points directly! _Blue Demon Thunder!" _

The ritual monster roared, gathering lightning in its claws and unleashing in a blast that would have made Emperor Palaptine proud. Jackie braced herself and snapped out a hand. "Reverse card open! Sakeretsu Armor! This trap destroys your attacking monster!"

The card lifted, glowing...and then exploded as the lightning tore right through it and caught Jackie square in the chest. She staggered, unable to stop herself from crying out in pain as it arced over her. (JLP: 8000-5000)

"This new Bleeding Edge tech is brilliant - I can smell the singe all the way over here!" Crypt put a hand on his hip as Jackie grimaced. "This is another layer of hell- futility! Thanks to my Archfiend's Call, you cannot target monsters named Summoned Skull with card effects! And guess what most trap cards like Sakeretsu Armor do?"

He cocked an eyebrow as Jackie shifted her stance, squaring up against him. "Hehehe...you still got some fight left, then? Those other two cards enough to stop me?"

"Come and find out." Jackie challenged. "See if lightning can't strike twice!"

"Why not? Archfiend's Manifestation! Direct attack! _Violet Demon Thunder!" _The fusion fiend roared in compliance, slashing both claws through the air to whip arcs of hissing lightning at her.

"Right back at you! Activate Receive Ace!" One of the other cards flipped up, the lightning crashing into it. The trap shuddered before the lightning exploded back across the playing fields back the way it had come. "This trap doesn't target, but it does negate your attack and deal you fifteen hundred points of damage!"

"What!?" Crypt's eyes widened just in time for the lighting to dart betwen his row of monsters and slam into him. LIke Jackie, he staggered and struggled against the sudden spurt of pain. "Where'd you get a trap card like that!?" (CLP: 6000-4500)

"I dated Lero a few years back, got a few fun things. And the new cards were good, too." Jackie smirked as she held up three cards. "Receive Ace's last effect sends the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard."

"Then it can't stop my last attack! Archfiend's Call! _White Demon Thunder!_" The Synchro's ring glowed with power before launching lightning up into the sky. A second later, it came screaming back down and Jackie hollered in pain as it slammed into her. (JLP: 5000-2000)

Crypt chuckled as her score dropped. "I'm impressed you managed to hang on for the turn, but I saw it in your eyes. It was only luck you had Receive Ace - your other defensive traps won't be able to touch my Skulls! Prolonging your descent into hell will just make things worse for you!"

"Crypt, you can't even begin to imagine the hells I've been to. Your bug zappers over there don't even compare!" Jackie reached for her deck. "My draw!"

TTTTTT

"A monster that provides blanket protection like that?" Raymon studied the laptop screen, scratching his chin. "These Synchro things sound pretty formidable…"

"Raymon!" Jessie's head poked out of their bathroom, her blond waves now a damp blanket. "I need you to go find Plato and tell him to get me the most un-bathrobe-like bathrobe he has!"

He blinked at her. "...why?"

"I need something to wear!"

He pointed slowly at her suitcase still open on the bed. "...but you brought clothes."

"I brought clothes for lying around in the sun with my boyfriend! I wear those when I duel and people will start thinking my mother's corsets are conservative!"

"But I've seen the outfits your sponsors has you wear when you're in the Pros-"

"That's for me, this tournament is for Lero! I can't be anything less than serious!"

"Why not borrow something from the other girls?"

She frowned at him. "If _your_ shirts won't fit me, Mister Size Large, do you think theirs will?"

Raymon blinked. "Oh."

"Not 'oh'! Go! Go! Find me clothing!" Jessie flapped her hand at him. "Shoo! Shoo!"

He bolted from the room, Jessie only pausing to glance at the duel unfolding. She'd never dueled Crypt herself, but she knew he was the real deal. _I don't know if you are under that mask, Jackie...but anyone Lero trusts with his heart can't be anything less than the best! So you have to win!_

TTTTTT

Jackie snapped up her next card and flipped it around. "I activate Ice Age Panic! Since I have no monsters, I summon an earth monster from my deck free of charge! Go Monk Fighter!" Her monster flipped out onto the field, a well-muscled youth dressed in plain orange clothing. (1300/1000)

"I know that card - you don't take any damage when he battles. And he has a support trap card called Lone Wolf. When you equip him with that trap, he can't be destroyed in battle." Crypt said with a trace of amusement. "Hoping I don't have a way to kill him through card effects?"

"Nope - I'm attacking with him! First up is the continuous magic card Guidance To Ore!" The card shimmered into existence in front of Jackie and then a second card joined it. "My other card is After the Struggle! Now Monk Fighter attacks Archfiend's Call! _Shaolin Blow!_"

"Attack my -" Crypt watched as the monk leapt forwards, slamming a mighty punch to his demon's chest. His Synchro didn't even seem phased, one slash of its claws sending the monk flying back to Jackie's field with blood spurting from the wounds. A moment later, he exploded. "Are you insane? You just wasted your monster!"

"I must be mad because I'm about to try the same thing again and expect a different result! Guidance To Ore lets me summon out a copy of any Rock monster that died on my field and Monk Fighter counts!" The spell card glowed, spitting out another of the gi-wearing youths. "Attack Archfiend's Manifestation! _Shaolin Blow!_"

The monk lunged, his roundhouse kick clearly enough to shatter boulders...and not fusion monsters as the archfiend blasted him with lightning. His clothing ignited and then Monk Fighter toppled backwards before exploding into dust.

"One more time!" The third Monk Fighter appeared in front of Jackie. "Attack Archfiend's Awakening! _Shaolin Blow_!"

The monk charged, fingers a blur of motion as he hammered what appeared to random points on the ritual monster's body. He stepped back, grinning confidently...which promptly fell as the demon seized his head in one massive set of claws and hurled him into the air. A lighting strike blew a hole through his stomach and he, too joined his brethren in returning to the dust whence they came.

"I'd say the only thing you'd accomplished there is proving the Bleeding Edge level of tech is amazingly real on live TV." Crypt shook his head. "Did you really think little men and bare fists were going to match the power of my demons?"

"Someone hasn't watched enough movies." Jackie smirked as Crypt started, his three Archfiend's all groaning in sudden pain. Cracks began to spread over their bony bodies as if they were fragile glass, blood and ichor oozing free from the wounds. "Or you'd know my monks hit your monster's pressure points."

"Pressure points -?" Crypt watched as his monsters began to spark, all three dropping to their knees as the cracks spread. "Those measly fighters don't have that kind of power!"

"They got an assist from my After The Struggle card." Jackie held it up. "At the end of the Battle Phase, any monsters that fought this turn are all destroyed and since this effect doesn't target them, your Synchro Monster's ability can't save them!"

Crypt's shout of denial was lost as all three of his monsters exploded like overcooked pieces of pottery, shrouding his field in smoke and lightning.

"Crypt!" Yoshito shouted, his eyes narrowing. "That poor performance is going to come out of your paycheck!"

Jackie's short bark of a laugh made him snap his glare at her. The masked duelist just sneered back. "Really, squeaks, could you sound even more cliche? If this is how you run your business, maybe you should stick to fighting Captain Planet instead of playing with the adults."

"Don't harass the punk too much - he doesn't play the game. So he doesn't understand strategy."

Jackie's eyes snapped back to Crypt's field. She could see his figure in the slowly clearing could of debris. Alongside three more demonic ones that sparking slightly. "But I destroyed your monsters!"

"You did. But all that did was trigger the last special ability that they all share- when they die," Crypt reappeared with another garish black/silver grin as the cloud parted to reveal three bone-and-muscle demons. "They all let me play a copy of the original Summoned Skull!" (2500/1200x3)

"_Unbelievable! This blunt-winged member of Lero's Angels survived a One-Turn Kill and came back with a move that blew all his new monsters into pieces!" _Cathy said as the camera drones swung around to get good shots of both duelist's faces. _"But Crypt was ready for her and now it looks like his demons are going to clip her wings for good!" _

TTTTTT

"Plato, I could kiss you!" Kaede examined her hair in the provided hand mirror, but mostly saw her own beaming smile. Her explosion of hair had become smoothed down and parted neatly in a smart and professional look. "How did you do it? I have to use bottles and bottles of hair gel to get like this!"

"Magic, Miss Mouto, and many years battling Master Bellerophon's bed hair." Plato said, though he couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as he pushed plato of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast in front of her. "I'm sorry, but this all reheated except for the toast. There isn't time for anything else."

" 'sfine, I nuke my breakfast anyway." Kaede dug into the food, watching as the duel progressed. "Hrrm...looks like besides Crypt, Yoshito got Reginald Fisk, ZZ Toppa, Warble Blackwood and Deagol Store. He really shelled out for the talent."

"You said you were researching them?" Sumire asked in between bites of her own food. "Did you find anything about them we can use?"

"No. I thought I could tell you their decks, but Crypt was supposed to use a Destiny Board deck - a way to win the duel without reducing life points to zero." Kaede explained when Sumire gave her a confused look. "But if he's using Summoned Skulls, I bet Yoshito gave them all new cards."

"And taking away another one of our advantages." Sumire scowled at the screen as Yoshito's image crossed it again. "I would admire his ruthlessness if he were not so destetable."

"Yeah, he even looks preppy and douche with that hair." Kaede agreed around a mouthful of toast before she swallowed. "Maybe it's 'cause I'm not a business lady, but I don't get why he sprang this early date on us. He already held most of the cards. He got to pick the time, the place, locked Lero out of his best options for duelists and get world opinion on his side. Rushing us doesn't even net him a cheap thrill."

"You have a point. It does smack of desperation from a man who has otherwise been in complete control of the situation." Sumire considered that. "This kind of move suggests he needs to take over I2 and KC as soon as possible, but his company is practically printing money."

"Eh, could be he just gets off on being a dick." Kaede shrugged. "He's spinning this as a white knight schtick, making it public news when he could have just dueled Lero behind closed doors and had done with it. I bet he's planning on getting some kind of gain out of this whole mess even if he loses."

"Not 'if', Kaede, 'when'."

"Heh. Right." Kaede smiled and nodded. "My bad." She glanced behind her where Lero still slept. "Should we wake him? This is kind of important…"

"We tried, but he has been unresponsive." The two women exchanged a grim look, both of not willing to voice the idea that his curse had gotten to him.

Kaede found herself first, resolutely returning to her food and the duel. "We'll wake him up after we've won. He's got enough stress to deal with already with Yoshito's slimely self mucking up the castle."

Sumire nodded in agreement and had barely taken another bite when the door to the room burst open to admit an out-of-breath Raymon.

"Jessie! Clothes - too risky - needs to borrow - can't find any - castle huge!" He panted.

Plato was right there. "She did not bring anything suitable for world viewing?" When Raymon nodded, he grabbed the youth's arm and began to pull him out of the room. "Come with me. This'll only be a moment."

Sumire watched them go. "He has clothes for her...in a castle full of men?"

"Plato has everything." Kaede nodded sagely. "I bet he just makes them for her on the spot."

TTTTTT

Yoshito watched as Jackie's fists clenched, her eyes hard behind her mask. Then both gaze and grip fell and he clapped his hands in only slightly mocking appreciation. "It was good showing and you fought hard, but this is a duel. And just like this tournament, someone has to win and someone has to lose. Crypt?"

"Don't order me around like I'm one of your stooges, Yoshito." Crypt said, but drew as his disk beeped to indicate Jackie had waited too long to make a move and now it was his turn. "For my turn…"

He paused, watching Jackie's face. It was impossible to read, her mask nothing but a void of darkness and her eyes eerie pinpricks of deeper darkness. "Nothing to say, huh? That's fine. I told you, when I duel, my opponent's face hell. The hell of knowing that your best will never let you overcome my demons and give you a chance to victory! Summoned Skull! Direct attack on her life points!"

The middle Summoned Skull gathered lightning in both claws before slashing them at Jackie. The lighting arced from the talons in great waves, burning up the air as they hurtled right for her.

"_This is it, folks! It's not even dawn yet and it looks like Yoshito's side has claimed their first victory! I-"_ Cathy - and everyone else- all covered their ears as a horrible wail split the air out of nowhere. "_What is that noise!? It sounds like someone is dying!" _

Yoshito grit his teeth at the headache the noise produced. "Is this some kind of cheap trick to- '' He gaped as he glanced down at his feet, eyes widening as the grass under it began to wither and die.

"_What is going on? The ground is rotting, plants and trees are dying!" _Cathy took a step back as things began to emerge from the oozing, rancid ground. "_Are those bones?!" _

Jackie's short laugh answered all their questions - she was standing in the center of the spreading death and decay, her smile garish under her bangs. "Reverse card open!"

The card lifted and more wails erupted from all around as ghastly faces burst from the ground to gather in front of her. They became a pulsing web of ectoplasm that caught the lightning attack and scattered it away. "Spirit Shield allows me to remove one zombie-type monster from my graveyard to end the battle phase!"

"Zombies? But all you have in your graveyard is those monks! Unless-" Crypt glanced down at the mire they were all standing in, then at his monsters. The flesh under their bone armor was rotting and oozing out, the bones themselves mottled with decay while strange fungus seeped from cracks and holes. "My Summoned Skulls!"

"Are now Zombie-type monsters. As is every monster we summon and every monster in our graveyards. That scream you heard was my Otherworld Banshee card. I can banish it from my graveyard to activate this field spell from my deck!" Jackie said, spreading her hands to encompass the rot around them. Behind her, the stone steps and Pegasus castle had become decrepit and overrun with dying plants while undead birds circled above.

"You think a change of scenery is going to help-" Yoshito stopped in mid-sentence, his face switching from irritation to horror in the blink of an eye. "Great Scott…"

"_Oh my - I -I...ladies and gentlemen, your brave reporter can scarcely find the words, but it looks like this angel of Lero's has fallen and-" _Cathy gulped. "_Become a zombie!" _

"I'm just trying to blend in with the natives." The void of her mask was gone replaced by a face that covered in what looked rotting flesh that gaped like wounds to expose bone and tissue. And in those wounds were eyes, wide and sharp and alive as if the ones she already had were just decoration. "We're all dead in Zombie World!"

TTTTTT

"When Lero told me the story about how she won a tournament just by scaring the other competitors, I scarcely believed it." Verthy said, looking a bit green as she watched the camera pan over Jackie's face. "I think I believe now."

Rosemary was thankful for the fact she was doing up Verthy's braid as it gave her an excuse to look somewhere that wasn't the screen. "I've used photo-sensitive makeup and paint in some of my shoots before, but you'd have to be an amazing artist and ridiculously patient to get an effect like that. I wonder how she got the void and the undead looks on the same mask."

"I imagine it has to do with the wavelengths of light given off by the Zombie World field spell." Verthy said, scientific intrigue overcoming her revulsion for a moment. "And with the Bleeding Edge technology, it has to be even more realistic...that might be something worth exploring in the future. Costumes for dueling that react to what's going on. Immerse yourself in the duel even further...oooh, a dueling fashion contest! Can the flashiest attacks make you the snappiest dresser?"

Rosemary giggled at the idea. "I think I'd like to do that. Sign me up."

"I'll do more than that, I'll sign all of us up. The news is onto something with the 'Lero's Angels' angle." Verthy mused. "This just might be the shot in the arm all our companies need to fix their flagging public relations."

An image of Amane floated in Rosemary's mind and her good mood soured. Once her manager heard about this idea of Verthy's, there was no doubt she'd try and make Rosemary front and center for the entire campaign.

Then the opposite thought came to mind when she realized what Amane would do to her if she learned about Lero's duel with Bakura. She'd never be able to see Lero again, her deck would be taken away and that was just for starters. And if she lost here in the Bride Tournament, her career would be ruined and Amane's along with it. That meant it would just be the two of them...forever.

Her heart skidded a bit at the chill the thought caused.

"You need not worry." Verthy soothed, sliding one hand up to squeeze Rosemary's where it lay on the German woman's shoulder. "The time is here and now and the enemy is in front of us. Lero protected you last night. Now it is your turn to protect him. And you will do so."

Rosemary stared at the back of her head. "Did you see that?"

"No." Verthy just squeezed her hand. "I just have faith in my friends."

TTTTTT

"It's my move!" Jackie drew from her deck, her face all the more frightening as how her smirk didn't stretch and flex the cheeks of the mask. "Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!"

They left her deck, but she was holding up her Duel Disk. "Not that I'll need them - I activate the effect of Mezuki in my graveyard! By banishing it, I can summon any Zombie I want! And I have just the weapon to blast your Skulls into dust!"

Earth shuddered in front of her, cracking hard and steam began to vent from it. The moans and wails of the undead lurking around Zombie World were drowned out by a clamor of rattling gears and hissing engines. The monster was a bipedal machine dragon now littered with cracks with oil bubbling out of some. Every motion sent steam curling out of the rest as the motor rumbled, the machine brought to life in undeath as a lumbering, ravenous beast covered in fleshy rust. (2600/2100)

"Barrel Dragon?" Crypt regarded the monster with amusement. "I admit it's creepy as hell thanks to being a Zombie, but that doesn't make its effect any better!"

"Not quite - that monster has lasers. Mine has guns. It's called Revolver Dragon!" Jackie gestured and the dragon hoisted itself to aim its head and both arms at the Skulls. All three were long-barreled revolvers and the chambers all loaded a bullet before beginning to spin. "Each of these barrels plays Russian Roulette and if they get the bullet, each barrel attacks!"

The chambers all clicked into position, the hammers falling and three booms echoed at once. Bone and pixels flew as the massive bullets blew the head off the center Summoned Skull and holes in the torsos of the other two. Blood puddled out of them and all three fell over like dominos, bursting apart. Their bones flew everywhere, crashing to the ground to be subsumed by the rotten ground like everything else. (CLP: 4500 - 4200)

"A nice addition to the graveyard." Jackie swept a card into her disk and it appeared behind her Revolver Dragon. "Still think your hell scares me, Crypt?"

"I think you're the one whose got the scaring part down." Crypt drew for his turn. "So I'll just run scared by setting one card face-down and one monster in defense mode. End turn."

"Draw!" Jackie drew and then held out the card. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." She added the new ones to her hand, then shoved one of them and an older card into her graveyard. "Next I summon Aloof Lupine in defense mode." (1700/300)

At one time, the dog had to have very fluffy, serious and majestic looking. Now it was a rotting hunk of its former glory with ichor-soaked fur, hunks of its body missing and a blind hunger in its eyes. "When I summon this guy, I banish one card from my hand…" One of her cards winked out. "And then I banish a monster of the same type from my deck."

"What? Banish?" Crypt frowned at her. "Wouldn't you want them to go to the graveyard to revive them with zombie cards?"

"But if I did that, then I wouldn't be able to activate my Magnet Reverse spell card and bring back one of the rocks I just banished!" With a rumble, a massive golem rose up behind her. Like Revolver Dragon, it was covered in fleshy rust, had damage of all sorts over it and the eyes were dead and hollow. "Ironhammer the Giant in defense mode!" (900/3500)

Revolver Dragon's barrels begin to spin while a glow surrounds both it and Ironhammer. "My giant is big on defense, but that's not all he does! He can allow one of my other monsters to attack you directly!" The arm guns of Revolver Dragon's clicked into place while the center barrel kept spinning. "Two attacks! Exactly what I needed!"

The first shot hit Crypt square, shoving him backwards in an explosion of mire and steam from the super-heated bullet. But he still managed to grab a card from his hand and slam it into the graveyard as the second barrel aimed at him. "I discard Kuriboh! All damage from the second attack to zero!" (CLP: 4200-2600)

Revolver Dragon staggered as the bullet misfired, scap and smoke pouring from the chamber as the barrel dug across the muck. Jackie just chuckled. "I end my turn."

"My move!" Crypt drew, smirking as he saw the card. "Pot of Avarice! I shuffle Captain Lock, Dark Resonator and my three Fiend Slime Molds back into the deck to draw two cards!"

He snapped him up, his garish smirk growing into demonic. "You're forgetting something, a graveyard's only a temporary stop on the way to hell. I activate Dragon's Mirror, banishing Versago and a Summoned Skull in my graveyard to fusion summon Black Skull Dragon!"

Zombie World shook as a mighty roar erupted alongside lava in front of him. Armored in bony plates that leaked magma-like blood, eye sockets hollow and empty and stretching wings devoid of flesh, the fusion dragon still looked dominated the playing field through sheer presence. (3200/2500)

"You may have made him a zombie, but he still counts as an Archfiend and that means I can activate Archfiend's Curse! I negate one of your cards!" The dragon roared again, spewing out flames that boiled away the rotting ground under their feet and left them standing in Duelist Kingdom again. "Then I sacrifice my set monster for Puppet Master!" (0/0)

The set card vanished, replaced by a cackling marionette with a curtain body - a living stage. "When this monster is summoned, I pay two thousand life points and revive two monsters from the graveyard!" Puppet Master cackled and ripped open its curtains, letting Archfiend's Call and a Summoned Skull back onto the playing field. (CLP: 2600-600)

Crypt smirked and thrust out a hand. "I can't attack with these monsters, but Call's effect is still in play and since Puppet Master and Summoned Skull are both level six, I can summon my other new skull as well! I open the Overlay Network!"

"Overlay Network?" Jackie's mind flashed back to Lero's duel with Bakura the night before. "An Xyz monster!?"

"You at least know about these monsters!" Puppet Master and Summoned Skull melted into balls of light that began to twirl around a rift that ripped open, spilling out a swirling light. A galaxy in miniature. _"From beyond space and through time, demonic power has no boundaries! Crash through lightning and roar like a new thunder! Rank 6! Archfiend's Ascent!"_

Black lightning coruscated around the variant of Summoned Skull, nearly lost in the black coating its bone body and green muscles. The energy surged as the two spheres of light orbiting drew close. (2500/1200)

"And one more Skull!" Crypt's set card lifted. "The trap Archfiend's Roar costs me five hundred life points, but it revives Archfiend's Manifestation!" There was a flash of purple lightning and the fusion fiend was back in play alongside its brethren.

He grabbed one more card. "Just to round off my combination, I target Black Skull Dragon with Identity Theft! This card lets me banish one card from my graveyard and then Black Skull Dragon takes on that monster's name." A card slid out of his graveyard and he held it up to reveal Summoned Skull. "I take it you know what this means."

Jackie grit her teeth as the monsters' scores began to raise thanks to Manifestation's ability. _Not only does that big hunk of ugly get the attack point bonus, but now Archfiend's Call protects it! _(2500-3000x2) (3200-3700)

"I told you when I started, my duels are hell. No matter how hard you struggle, you'll never make progress! Go! Archfiend's Manifestation attacks Aloof Lupine! Archfiend's Ascent attacks Revolver Dragon! _Blue Demon Thunder! Black Demon Thunder!_"

Lightning screamed across the playing field, skewering her dog and throw it into the air before it exploded. Revolver Dragon fared worse now that it was a full machine again. The black lightning danced over it and it let out an ugly whine as sparks tore free before it blew apart and showered Jackie with nuts and bolts. (JLP: 2000-1500)

"Black Skull Dragon attacks Ironhammer! _Meteor Flare!_" The dragon spewed out flaming rocks that hit with all the force of real meteors. They crushed Ironhammer's limbs and torso like it was tinfoil, the great rock monster melting into slag.

"During my End Phase, Manifestation would be destroyed thanks to the trap I used, but Archfiend's Ascent's got that covered!" The black fiend seized one of the orbiting lights and crushed it with a growl. "By expending an Xyz Material, I can prevent the destruction of my Archfiends by card effects!"

"Didn't think these new Synchro and Xyz monsters would be so powerful…" _Archfiend's Call means I can't target his monsters with my card effects and Archfiend's Ascent means I can't just wipe his board, even if I had a card like that. And now that includes his Black Skull Dragon. _Jackie drew her next card, frowning as her Duel Disk flashed 'Suffer The Curse?' at her. "What now!?"

"My Archfiend's Curse. It only negates your field spell for my turn, but after that, for as long as that card is on the field, you have to pay four hundred life points or it'll be negated again." Crypt smirked, but it faded as lightning erupted around Jackie and the air warped again, mire spreading under their feet while his monsters all gained ugly growths and reeked of death. "No hesitation, huh? I can respect that." (JLP: 1500-1100)

"_This looks like the last turn, folks! We've seen some amazing moves this duel, but in almost every turn he's had, Crypt has shown us why he's ranked Number 7 in the whole world! His fiends and mastery of the new summoning mechanics has backed Jackie into a corner she's not going to escape from!" _Cathy thrust her microphone at Yoshito. "_Have you any comments about your sudden success, Mister Decrall?"_

"Well, I cannot fault Bellerophon's judgment in duelists. Jackie has proven to be quite the duelist, but I think he miscalculated here. As talented and clever as his group of 'angels' are, there's a distinct gap between them and the Pro League." Yoshito said with amicable humbleness, hands spread in a 'there you have it' gesture. "The power of a professional just can't be denied!"

"But that's power you had to pay for, squeaks." Jackie's belligerent tones cut into his moment. "So the whole world is watching you do nothing but waste air, letting all others do all the work for you. This tournament is nothing but a sham for fact you just want to get your dick wet and can't even be bothered to unzip yourself."

Cathy gasped, though it was hard to tell if it was real or not. _"Oh - that's just - can she say that on live TV?!"_

"This tournament is to decide a contractual issue between Industrial Illusions, Ironwrought Industries and KaibaCorp. The Japanese government has agreed to a tournament to settle the matter rather than wasting years of time and taxpayer dollars to deal with this in court." Yoshito said, smiling firmly. "It is unfortunate that-"

"There you go - squeaking like your words mean something, you entitled prick. They don't matter and neither do you. A woman's life is caught in this mess and all you've done is just show how greedy you are." Jackie snorted. "I'd be sick if I didn't feel like that'd be a waste of effort."

Yoshito's smile and polite smile never wavered, but they did stop reaching his eyes. "You have such a bold attitude, Jackie. But your mind must be twisted if you can't comprehend the situation you're in. And your reaction to your field spell...that is not a sign of someone Lero would be trusting the future to."

"You don't know anything about Lero. Or about me. But if you need proof of that…." Jackie grabbed the card she'd drawn. "I activate Spiritual Collapse! I pay one thousand life points and send a fusion monster from my Extra Deck to my graveyard!" She shoved her chosen card into the slot, gritting her teeth as energy sparked over her. (JLP: 100)

"Then from my graveyard, I banish a second Mezuki to summon Timeater!" A warped purple clock appeared in front her, springs and rust eating away it while two eerie red eyes glared out from the depths of its broken gears. (1900/1700)

The mire began to churn next to the machine and with a disgusting burble, a zombie pulled itself free. It was a mass of corpses mashed together, pudgy and decorated in black ichor and pustules that pulsed like hearts. "By sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard, I can special summon Plaguespreader Zombie from the graveyard!" (400/200)

"Plaguespreader...I've heard of that one...it's…" Crypt frowned at the new monster, then started. "That was on the list of the new Tuner monsters!"

"Which means I'm about to show the world what a real Synchro Summon looks like! I tune my level two Plaguespreader Zombie and my level six Timeater together!" Jackie's grin grew as the tuner exploded into rings that began to consume her monster. "_Peel back the curtain of life and expose the eyes of the underworld! Gaze upon all sin and become all darkness! Synchro Summon! Level 8!"_

Timeater sank into the mire as did the synchro rings. For a moment the ground around surged and bubbled before a hulking winged form erupted out of the goo behind her. It gave an unholy roar, the water of Zombie World sloughing off to reveal fleshy scales separated by twisted ridges.

The one of the scales opened, revealing an eye.

Then another.

And another. And another until the monster was a mass of angry, glaring eyes hated everything they saw. "_Hundred Eyes Dragon!" _(3000/2500)

TTTTTT

"Another unique-looking dragon." Sumire was more curious than grossed out by the monster's appearance. "Just like Bellerophon's last night."

Her gaze slid to Kaede, who was staring at the dragon while absently rubbing her left forearm. "You did that last night when Bellerophon summoned Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon. Is there some kind of connection?"

"Huh?" Kaede blinked. "Don't think so." She rolled back her sleeve, but her arm was clear. "I just...that thing looks really familiar to me."

"Jackie and Jessie said the same thing about his dragon." Sumire said and obeyed a sudden urge to check on the Crimson Star. Even as dawn approached, it was still bright enough to see.

A conversation with her mother she'd had a few years ago drifted to the forefront of her mind. How when she had worn the Millenium Necklace, Ishizu had always had 'feelings' about things that would be important or related to her visions. A 'tugging on my heart', she'd called it.

Sumire had accepted the story as she had everything else about her mother's history - noted, logged and filed away to collect dust. She was always more concerned with the future. But now, looking again at Jackie's dragon, she felt it. Her heart being pulled at by an unseen force.

Destiny? Magic? Fate?

There was no way to tell.

Sumire frowned to herself. _As if today needed to be even more complicated. _

"What's...going on…?"

Both women turned at the blearly voice from behind and then Kaede was scrambling out of her seat. "Lero! You're awake!"

TTTTTT

_That thing…! It's eyes are just like ones on her mask! Like it's staring into my soul! _Crypt took a step back as the dragon's many eyes fell on him. They all blinked in eerie sync, glowing as the dragon rippled and sank back into the mire of Zombie World. "What- where did it go? What's it doing!?"

"Hundred Eyes Dragon can copy the effect of a Dark monster in my graveyard. Like the one I sent there with Spirit Collapse. A monster called Wall Shadow." Jackie's multi-eyed face leered out of the darkness of her bangs as Crypt began to glance around himself. "So now….it can attack you directly."

_Where? Where? Where is it?_ Crypt scanned the ground, trying to ignore the sound of his heart thudding his chest.

"Don't bother looking-" Jackie sneered as the brackish waters underneath him erupt into a curtain around him. And inside that curtain of water, dozens of eyes began to open. "It's everywhere!"

As the sun finally rose over Duelist Kingdom, it was greeted by Yoshito's stunned face and Crypt's cry of pain and defeat. (CLP: 0)

"_Unbelievable and almost inconceivable! Despite being one of the top-ranked in the world and the advantage of surprise, Crypt has been defeated by a relative unknown!" _Cathy said as the camera drones circled the fallen Pro. _"It looks like Yoshito's would-be fairy tale has taken a dark turn! Will he be able to get his happy ending or will this tournament become a horror story?"_

Yoshito's only response was to smile politely at the cameras. "I wouldn't be much of a good husband if I turned back only after one setback. We've only just begun and I promise that this matter is going to be settled in the best way possible, for Miss Kaiba's sake."

When the drones drifted back over to where Crypt was getting back to his feet so Cathy could start questioning him, he narrowed his eyes as he watched Jackie's motorcycle weave its way back up the castle's steps. "No matter the consequences."

TTTTTTTT

"Geeze, Lero, save some water for the fishes!" Kaede said, tugging the empty glass away from him as he finished and reached for the pitcher to refill. "Ah-huh, no way! Too much water too fast and you'll just upchuck it! Have some oxygen instead!"

"Right, sorry…" Lero wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I'm always thirsty when I sleep too long."

The lie was an easy one. He didn't feel the need to mention he was gulping down water because the first glass hadn't wiped the taste of sand out of his mouth. Nor had the second. Or the third. And they hadn't done anything to cool him down, that he still could smell burnt clay and stale desert air.

"I'd call that a weird trait to have, but you are a Pegasus, so I'm going to say that's probably normal." Kaede rolled her eyes. "But just to be sure, I'm going to get Dr. Annalissa. Sumire, make sure he doesn't continue his camel impersonation."

She vanished out the door and Lero sighed, glancing out the balcony window. He could see the dots that had to be Yoshito's party making their way up the switchback steps. "This guy doesn't let up, does he?"

"No. But he is not invincible. We took the first win. And we will take more." Sumire assured him. "Your exes are fighting for you, not money. They have better motivation."

"They're fighting for you, too." Lero said. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but they know your future is on the line here as well. 'Sides," He gave her a small grin. "I think Jessie likes the idea of you being Mrs. Pegasus."

"Only so she can have a second direct line more Duel Monsters cards." Sumire scoffed, but she didn't take her hand away when he put his over it. "And I find myself liking that idea, too."

"The alternative is a lot worse."

"Not just because of that, motivator it might be. I feel…" She searched for the word. "Comfortable around you, Bellerophon. In a way I have not felt outside my family since I was little."

Lero made an adorable embarrassed, Sumire glancing down at her lap to hide her own sudden spurt of shyness. They were saved from the awkwardness as a motor roared down the hallway and rattled the picture frames. There was a screech outside the door and Lero scowled as the scent of burn rubber wafted in after it. "Jackie! Plato's going to kill you for driving that thing inside the castle!"

"Relax. I drove in the halls that didn't have carpeting and he's already moved the breakable stuff with Jessie around." Jackie said as she came in. "And I'm in a hurry. This is as far away as I can get from Yoshito. The man is disgusting and if it weren't for those cameras, I'd run him over and shove the body into the ocean."

"Sumire says your tongue-lashings are doing just as good." Lero said, smirking a bit. "How hard did you have to work not to swear in front of the whole world? Surprised you're not spitting blood with how hard you'd have to bite your tongue…"

"Hey, don't mock me. I kept myself under control for your sake, idiot." Jackie huffed at him, setting herself on the bed opposite Sumire. "You're going to have enough trouble with your rep after all this, so I was saving you some effort."

"I know. I appreciate it." Lero said, shifting a bit. "And I appreciate the fact you won even more. I don't even know how to repay you, Jackie. So...just name it. And I'll make it hap-"

"Save it, sky horse." Jackie cut him off with a firm hug that he returned. "Didn't need your money then, don't need it now."

"But you have my thanks, Jackie." He squeezed her tighter, unable to vocalize the rush of emotions that suddenly crashed through him.

"I'd like my ribs, too." Jackie protested playfully and made a show of rubbing them when he released her. "I- hey!"

Sumire had reached across Lero and pulled her into another hug. It was awkward, with Jackie's head in Sumire's chest and the Egyptian woman looking stiff. But the thick emotion in her voice was real. "Thank you, Jackie."

"Yeah...yeah, no problem, Sphinx." Jackie said after a moment of hesitation and patted the other woman on the back.

Lero frowned at her as the two parted. "'Sphinx?' Why does she get the cool nickname and not me?!"

" 'cause your name is literally a sky horse!"

TTTTTT

"_After a harrowing trek - up the steps to - Pegasus Castle, we stand before the gates…" _Cathy wheezed into her microphone. _"What awaits Yoshito on the other - side? Victory? Defeat?"_

"A bench would be great…" One of the Pros muttered.

"Hush. Please remember you are professionals and should act as such." Yoshito said under his breath. He refused to gulp down air like the rest of them or even raise his voice. He ignored the sweat down his back. Anger made it easy. He had hoped his ambush strategy would have given him the edge, but now the humiliation of the first loss burned with sour heat in his gut.

_My ambush was calculated to give me an expedient victory. Without that...my company...my family..._The sour feeling grew worse, but he pushed the thoughts from his mind. _No, it doesn't matter. Military doctrine holds that no plan ever survives contact with the enemy. And one lucky victory does not guarantee Bellerophon's little cadre of Angels the others. _

The thought strengthened him as the castle's large metal gates swung open. And his smile was only half-forced as he saw who was waiting for them on the other side. "So Bellerophon did manage to recruit a Pro of his own. How fortuitous for him."

"Don't you mean bad luck for you?" Jessiebelle shot back, raking a hand through her waves of blonde with a smirk. "You're about to be handed your second loss in a row, Yoshito."

"So first a zombie dragon and now a black cat?" Yoshito said with a polite eyebrow raise. "Duelist Kingdom must be more magical than I'd heard to possess such a menagerie of dangerous creatures."

"Flattery doesn't get you anywhere, Yoshito." Jessie raised her Duel Disk, the device warming up. "Now pick one of your remaining Pros - doesn't matter which one I beat, I get a nice boost to my ranking!"

"If you're so confident in yourself, then perhaps dueling Number 6 in the world will be worth your time. Mister Store-" Yoshito was cut off as another figure shoved past him. "Blackwood?"

"I've been wanting this duel." Blackwood lived up to his name - or maybe it lived up to him. Broad and lantern-jawed with a flattop haircut and sunglasses, his suit was hard-pressed to conceal his powerful build. "It is a perfect chance to conduct my investigation."

"Investigation?" Jessie cocked her head.

"You have been blessed with extraordinary good luck, surpassing even your father's. Winning millions in Macau, Las Vegas and Monte Carlo. Discovered a lost temple on your first hike through the Amazon Rainforest. Went scuba diving near Bermuda and located a lost Spanish treasure ship." Blackwood activated his own Duel Disk. "I must verify for myself the true potential and source of your good fortune!"

"Source?" Jessie rolled her eyes. "What's up with that? Don't you know good luck is the result of good preparation, experience and opportunity? It's not a force you can measure or control!"

"I believe otherwise. This duel will reveal to me and the world the source of your families' legendary good luck." Blackwood said with conviction. "The truth will be known!"

"Heh, I can see why your nickname is 'The Intrigue'. But since your head's already in the clouds, why doesn't the World Traveller take you on one of her legendary world tours?" Jessie grinned as she pulled her opening hand free. "First stop - your defeat!"

"LET'S DUEL!" (JLP: 8000) (BLP: 8000)

TTTTTT

_The duels heat up as the tournament progresses! But will Jessie build on Jackie's surprise win or will her good luck vanish like morning dew as the sun dawns on Duelist Kingdom!?_

_Next chapter: Vs Blackwood! Around The World In Eighty Cards! _

CREATED CARDS:

Revolver Dragon  
DARK  
7 stars  
Machine/Effect  
2600/2100  
Effect: At the start of your Battle Phase, flip three coins. For each Heads result, this card may attack once this turn. If you get two or more Heads, this card is the only monster that may attack this turn.

Pact Hierarchy

Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: After activation, equip this card to a Fiend-type monster you control. During your Standby Phase, pay 1000 life points or destroy this card. During your Standby Phase, you can Special Summon one Fiend-type monster from your Deck whose level is equal to or less than the equipped monster's level, but it cannot attack until the End Phase of the next turn. If this card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster. If the equipped monster is destroyed, destroy this card.

Image: Ha Des ordering an Opticlops who in turn is ordering a Winged Minion.

Identity Theft  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Target one monster you control, then banish one monster in your graveyard. The targeted monster's name becomes the same name as the banished monster's.

Image: Don Zaloog looting a sarcophagus while wearing the robes of Gravekeeper's Chief with other Gravekeeper's in the background, unware of what he is doing.

Archfiend's Curse  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Activate only if you control a face-up 'Archfiend' card. Target one face-up card your opponent controls and negate its effects until the End Phase. During your opponent's Standby Phase, if you control a face-up 'Archfiend' card, they can choose to pay 400 Life Points. If they do not, the targeted card's effects are negated until their next Standby Phase.

Image: Warrior of Zera clutching his head in pain as phantasmal images of Zera the Mant and Mazera Deville battle behind him while Archfiend Emperor watches on from the background.


	10. Vs Blackwood! Around The World in Eighty

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 10: VS Blackwood! Around The World In Eighty Cards!

"You know, Yoshito, you crashed the place so early, I have to wonder if you even had time for breakfast. It's fine, though." Jessie flicked one of her cards so it was balanced on the tip of her finger, spinning slowly before she snatched it back down with a deft movement and sharp grin. "I'm happy to serve you and your gang of guns-for-hire a second helping of defeat!"

"Your concern for me is touching, but unwarranted, Miss Valentine." Yoshito drawled in reply. "I'll be sure to have plenty to eat my victory party."

"You'll be choking down your words!" Jessie jabbed a finger at him. "There's no way in hell I'm letting you marry Sumire! This contract bullshit is just like this tournament! Nothing but a sham for you to boost your ego and line your pockets!"

"It is not my fault that Maximillion Pegasus, my grandfather and Gozaburo Kaiba drew up contracts pawning off their heirs like trading cards and then made them legally binding in the worst way." Yoshito held up his arms in a helpless gesture. "All I'm trying to do is resolve this in the quickest, most fair way possible. A tournament over a single day instead of years of drawn out legal battles."

He folded his arms, smiling as one of the camera drones circled him. "And I at least am here to face down the masses and deal with this whole mess in person. Yet Bellerophon has yet to even comment on the proceedings."

"A creep like you isn't worth his time and energy," Jessie sneered. "Spending time with Sumire however, _is_ worth his time. I haven't seen you making an effort to get to know her!"

"Hard to do that when she's been here for the last two weeks. As Bellerophon's 'guest'. But we all know the history between the Pegasus and the Kaiba families. I hope she's not stuck in the same room her Uncle Mokuba was." Yoshito said with a dark frown. "I heard that was a prison cell."

Jessie was suddenly very glad both of her parents had taught her to play poker at such a young age - it meant she kept her flinch of surprise off her face. _How does he know about that?! _

"In fact, where is Sumire? This terrible mess is centered around her and she has yet to speak on it herself. I feel that she would. That is, if Bellerophon doesn't think that 'getting to know him' takes more priority over her freedom." Yoshito's tone was just concerned enough to convey sincerity and the idea his thoughts were taking a dark turn.

"_Ooh, fresh off a stunning defeat, Yoshito shows only an iron resolve as he throws some very challenging and dangerous words at Bellerophon Pegasus! This white knight's armor took a beating, but it's still gleaming!" _Cathy Cathy said as her drones spread out over the courtyard to get a good angle of the dueling field. _"If Bellerophon's got a response, now's the time!"_

"You're looking at his response, right here!" Jessie thumbed at herself and held up her Duel Disk. "You can talk all you want, Yoshito, but in Duelist Kingdom, we only listen to the Duel Monsters!"

"Fascinating. That may be the luckiest thing I have heard of you doing, Miss Wheeler-Valentine." Blackwood said, suddenly coming to life as if someone had flipped a switch. "You got my employer to stop listening to the sound of his own voice."

Yoshito smiled for the cameras, but inwardly he was imaging feeding Blackwood his own tie. _There is no respect among these 'Professionals', is there? I cannot believe I have to put the fate of my company in their hands!_

"_Harsh words have been had, shots have been fired and the cards have been drawn! Now it's time for the second round of the Bride Tournament! Will Jessie's legendary luck give Lero's Angels a second victory or will Blackwood's inquisitive mind find a weakness to give her defeat?"_

Both of the duelists raised their Disks, drawing their cards. "LET'S DUEL!"

TTTTTT

"What do you mean, you won't let me make an appearance?!" Lero attempted to rise out of the bed again, only for Plato to shove him back down with a firm hand on his shoulder and a firmer glare.

"You are still on bedrest, Young Master and it comes in two parts - being in the bed and resting. Making a public appearance isn't part of the equation." Plato said. "Not to mention doing it now will simply weaken your position. Retaliating would make it seem like his words are true."

"Then I will go and give him the opinion he asked for." Sumire said, sounding very much like her opinion was going to include her fist making repeated contact with Yoshito's face.

Plato shook his head. "That will have a worse result - I have a feeling Yoshito would take your words, and spin about how Lero has intimidated you or you are so worried about KaibaCorp and your family legacy, you're acting against what you really want."

"That is nonsense - no one could hope to believe something like that, not when it is my future on the line! I have no reason not to be honest!"

"A person wouldn't believe that, no, but people will. As often is the case, humans in large groups tend to not make very clever or rational decisions." Plato informed her. "And you cannot get a group any larger than the rest of the world."

"He's not wrong at all." Kaede said over the top of her laptop. "The Internet has lost its collective mind over this - like everything about this tournament holds the top five trending spots across the board and thensome."

"Oooh, the Internet has an opinion! It must be the word of God himself!" Jackie was seated on Lero's side, munching on some breakfast remnants and rolling her eyes. "How bad can it be?"

"Well...just skimming these hashtags…" Kaede's eyes were flicking back and forth across the screen. "Uh..._I went to bed in the 21st century and woke up in the dark ages - last time I buy from I2...Two rich entitled misogynists destroy feminism in twenty four hours...Does the Pegasus boy think hiring six women to fight his battles will make us forget that he's endorsing slavery…'Lero's Angels' have set feminism back by a hundred years...why don't they both just whip them out and measure already - leave that poor girl out of this…_hashtag NotInMyName...hashtag ShesAWomanNotAPrize…"

She linked her fingers. "And those are some of the nicer ones - I'm not even looking at the death threats and the anti-muslim stuff. Everyone's out for you and Yoshito. Both I2 and Ironwrought's stock has tanked in the last twenty four hours. There are protesters outside their headquarters in Tokyo - one of their employees was assaulted on his way to work this morning. I2's US office is so remote nothing's happened there yet, but it's only a matter of time before someone gets a truck out to the desert and tries to torch the place."

"In California?" Jackie snorted. "They're more likely to get stoned, forget all about it and drive themselves into the sea by mistake."

"Well at least we're both coming out of this equally badly - that's something," Lero admitted. "Still, we need to do something to turn that opinion into our favor. If I could just go out there-"

"What would you say to fix this, Young Master?" Plato reminded him, folding his arms. "This kind of fire isn't one you can put out. You have to wait for it to burn itself down to a more manageable level."

"Yeah, we've only had one duel, anyway." Kaede said. "Let's have a few more - the Internet changes opinions on the drop of a hat. And the views for Jackie's duel alone was almost a billion people!"

"That many?" Jackie said in amazement, then her lips curved in a frown. "Good thing I don't have any of that social media bullshit. I can imagine how bad it'd be blowing up…"

"Well, yeah, you got a few, and the standard racist and anti-feminist crap that every woman on the net gets by law, but most of the comments are pretty good! You did take down Number Seven in the world!" Kaede assured her and began to read off a few. "_Who is this angel of death?...Why isn't she on the Pro Circuit?...We stand behind a badass goddess putting a man in his place..._"

"There. You see? It is not all bad." Plato frowned slightly as Lero didn't look impressed. "We'll think of something, but you need to recover your strength. I do not think the world would react well to learning your bedridden because you dueled a dead man and nearly died."

Lero did not look happy, but grunted in acknowledgement. "Fine…"

TTTTTTT

"My move! I draw!" Jessie drew, lips curling in a bit of a smirk. "Here we go - I summon Bloom The Forest Princess in defense mode!"

Clad in leaves patterned after a classical dress and a wealth of colorful flower petals decorating her hair, her new monster lived up to the name even as she knelt on her card in defense position. (800/2200)

"But what's a princess without a kingdom? I activate the field spell card Deep Forest!" The decorating flower beds and trees that lined the courtyard suddenly exploded and multiplied. Vines and roots crawled over the castle's stonework and branches intertwined overhead to leave everyone standing in a sun-dappled clearing. "In this place, you can't attack any monsters that are aligned with nature! Not only that, playing a field spell when she's the only monster in play activates Bloom's effect! I summon another Forest monster from my deck!"

Bloom whistled out a little song and in the depths of the trees, more notes answered. With a flute-like fluttering of wings, a bird carved out of some kind of blue gemstone sailed out of the canopy. Sunlight glistened off its smooth body as it perched on Bloom's outstretched finger. "Say hell to Ocarina, The Forest Songbird!" (300/800)

"That is your standard opening combination. Bloom, a field spell and Ocarina. In your public Pro career, you've dueled two hundred and nineteen times. That combo appeared in the first turn one-hundred and ninety-eight of them." Blackwood noted.

"Congrats, you can read a stat book." Jessie rolled her eyes. "I'm flattered."

"Your deck is forty-five cards and I know that Bloom and Ocarina are so rare that you possess only one copy of each. The odds of drawing Bloom in your opening hand so often is extraordinarily low. Almost one in ten thousand." Blackwood continued. "To beat the odds consistently says there is something more to your legendary luck."

"Yeah, you said you got a theory about that. So let's test it, shall we?" Jessie grabbed a pair of cards from her hand. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw." Blackwood did so with a surprising amount of care, perhaps because the Duel Monsters cards were a bit dainty-looking in his broad hands. "I activate Snake Rain, discarding one card from my hand. Now I can send four Reptile-type monsters from my deck to my graveyard."

He shoved the little stack of cards his deck spat out into the proper slot and then set a card onto his disk. "Then I set one monster in defense mode and one card behind it. End turn."

"Gee, a standard 'T' play. A move like ninety-five percent of Pros open with." Jessie drew for her turn and pointed at Ocarina. The bird fluttered its wings, trilling out a song. "With Ocarina and Bloom in play, I can send my field spell to the graveyard to activate any I want from my deck! So say good-bye to Deep Forest and hello to Cave of Wonders - Scorpion's Nest!"

The forest melted away, transforming into scattered piles of gold coins, overfilled treasure chests, damp cave walls covered in finely-woven tapestries and statues of all kind littering the place like it was going out of style. "When this card is activated, I can add a Dark Scorpion card from my deck to my hand! And not only will I add it, I'll summon it! Get on out here, Don Zaloog!"

The gloom of the cave and the man's dark skin meant his white teeth glinted when he smirked as he strolled into play. Twirling a pair of pistols casually, the rugged-looking thief looked a bit out of place amidst all the finery he had stolen. (1400/1500)

"_Looks like Jessie's living up to her World Traveller name! In just two turns we've gone from the depths of the forest to the depths of a dragon's treasure horde!" _Cathy commented as her drones floated around to get a good shot of the effects. _"There's enough treasure in here that the Dark Scorpions don't have to rob banks- they are the bank!"_

"But like any good thief, too much is never enough, so Don's gonna steal some of your cards and your life points!" Jessie jabbed a finger at Blackwood. "With my field spell, Don can attack you directly if he lowers his attack to four hundred when he does! Hit'em with both barrels!"

Don grinned and snapped up his guns. The weapons barked in unison, the bullets slamming into Blackwood and staggering him. The Pro grunted in pain, then in annoyance as Don fired again, the shot blowing a hole in the middle card in his hand. "Your monster's effect…" (BLP: 8000-7600)

"When he deals damage, you lose either a card in your hand or the top cards of your deck! But that's just for starters! Reverse card open! Dark Scorpion - Sting and Pincer!" Jessie smirked as the trap flipped out, spilling out light that resolved into a slender woman dressed in an outfit similar to Don's. Though her weapon of choice was a thorn-covered whip. "This trap activates when my Scorpions rob you! I summon another one from the deck, like Meanae the Thorn! And since it's still the battle phase - _Thorn Lash!_" (1000/18000)

Blackwood raised his arm as the whip cracked, the length dragging over his sleeve sharply. "Tell your thieves to mind the suit - it's worth more than they are…" (BLP: 7600-7200)

Don and Meanae exchanged glances, then snickered to themselves at the idea while Jessie continued with her turn. "When Meanae deals you damage, I can pick up a Dark Scorpion card, so Sting and Pincer will work nicely! And each time my Scorpions dealt you damage, my field spell gained a counter! So I'll expend them and take my cut of their take -namely I draw once!"

She tugged the card free and then swept another into her disk. "I set this and call it a turn!"

"My move." Blackwood drew and then pointed at his set card. "I activate the continuous trap card Viper's Grudge. Then I will sacrifice my set monster for Alien Ooze!"

The set monster dissolved into a translucent puddle of goo. Bits of flesh and organs floated in it. Two of them opened to reveal eyes and with a disgusting gurgling noise, the mass pulled itself into a rough humanoid shape. (2400/1000)

"Gross...just...ugh…" Jessie made a face as she watched the monster's organs drift and float inside it like a lava lamp. "No close encounters of a third kind with that thing, please!"

"When a Reptile is sent to the graveyard, my Viper's Grudge summons another one from the deck so long as it is level four or lower! So I deploy Alien Shocktrooper to battle!" The trap glowed and spilled out a monster like Jessie's had the previous turn. Though this one was a centaur alien - green skin, fanged pointed mouth and covered in plate armor that glowed with inhuman light. Though the massive scimitar the monster had gave off that all-too familiar glint of sharpness. (1900/800)

"Oh, that trap is so unfair!" Jessie growled. "Summoning straight from the deck like that is cheap!"

"Believe me, that trap was not cheap at all." Yoshito said smoothly. "Cost me several small fortunes, but to supply my Pros with their most powerful decks, it was worth it." He tapped his chin. "I believe the collector I bought it from called it a 'Supreme Rare'."

There was a collective noise of surprise from his Pros and Cathy let out a squawk of excitement. "_That's a Supreme Rare? Most duelists can go their whole lives without seeing one! With an effect that powerful, maybe Jessie's luck has almost run out!"_

TTTTTT

"A Supreme Rare…" Lero folded his arms as he watched the camera pan over the card in question. "That probably cost Yoshito almost a million dollars."

Kaede and Jackie, the former letting out a low whistle of surprise as they nodded along while Sumire just looked confused. "I do not understand - even for rare cards, why is the price so high?"

"Duel Monsters has a rarity tier-list. Secret, Ultra and Ultimate are the most common. They can run anywhere from a couple of bucks to well into the tens of thousands depending on what card it is. There's also Prize Tier, which are unique, one-of-a-kind cards we give out for tournament and contest winners, things like that." Lero explained. "The tier after that is Supreme Rare. Out of the billions of cards I2 has produced, a Supreme Rare only has a printing of about a hundred copies."

"But if it's just rarity, wouldn't the Prize Tier be more valuable given they are one-of-a-kind?"

"Prize Tier cards are banned from legal play, either because they're too powerful or they just don't have effects. Supreme Rares are legal and often very powerful. Viper's Grudge is one because the ability to summon from the deck is tied to a very common thing in Duel Monsters; a monster being sent to the graveyard from the field. And it's not limited to once per turn. So now that it's on the field, now matter how Jessie destroys his monsters, Blackwood can summon replacements as long they exist in his deck."

"Friggin broken is what it is…" Jackie grumbled, then lifted her head to look over the laptop's screen at the bed. "Hey, Sky Horse-"

"No, Jackie. I can't print you Supreme Rares."

A big pair of green eyes peered over the screen, wide and adorable. "But what about me, My Hero Lero?"

"Kaede! What did we say about that name?" Lero protested quickly, but it was too late as Jackie began to laugh and Sumire had to hide her smile. Kaede just sniggered and stuck out her tongue.

"Master Lero cannot print cards on a whim. There is a checklist of requirements he has to follow." Plato took pity on his ward, though his smile was professionally amused. "It is a long and boring list, but necessary to keep the game from becoming unbalanced."

"I see." Sumire said, her smile vanishing into thoughtfulness. Then she cocked her head at her sheepish husband. "Is that why Seto Kaiba had to barter with your father to gain cards related to the Blue-Eyes White Dragons? They are Supreme Rares?"

"Yes, but not because they're Supremes." Lero replied. "They're Grail Rares." Seeing her blink at him, he explained. "Grail Rares are cards so rare, so powerful that receive ten or less printings. They're worth more than their weight in gold. Dad hasn't even printed any in the last twenty years and I've never seen any in person, just pictures."

Sumire nodded. "So hence the name. They are as rare and valuable to duelists as the Holy Grail was to King Arthur."

"Yep. But even if he got any, none exist that would work for Blackwood's Alien deck. And besides, the cards are only part of the story." Lero nodded at the screen as it flashed back to Jessie's determined smirk. "The duelist matters more."

TTTTTT

"I go into the Battle Phase! Alien Ooze attacks Meanae!" Blackwood snapped out his hand and the ooze monster gurgled in obedience, forming two long tendrils that whipped towards the female thief.

"I activate Ocarina's effect!" The songbird trilled out another song and the wealth of Scorpion's Nest was swallowed up by a burst of shadows. The darkness grew deeper and deeper until Jessie and her monsters were nothing but thickly-shrouded figures. "With the field spell Dark Arena in play, all monsters have to attack!"

"But that's what I was doing anyway!" Blackwood pointed out and his Ooze gurgled in agreement as it whipped its arms towards a slender Meanae-shaped shadow. Then her own whip came cracking out of the darkness and smashed through Ooze like it was nothing and left the Pro's suit splattered in slime. "What?!" (BLP: 7200-6300)

"I activated my trap card - Snowman Effect! It adds all of the attack of my monsters together and gives them to Meanae! Of course, you could just choose not to attack her still, but thanks to Dark Arena, I get to choose the target!" Jessie taunted from the darkness. "Your trap means I'll have plenty of monsters to mow down!"

"Not if they cannot attack! By the effect of Viper's Grudge, I summon Alien Researcher in defense mode!" The new alien was slender to the point of almost emancipated, gray skin hidden by glowing pieces of technology as it typed on a holographic keyboard in front of it. (0/2200)

"Shocktrooper won't be so lucky!" The alien scuttled forwards, weapons raised only for all its advanced weaponry to be rendered moot as Meanae's whip lashed out of the darkness and punched a hole through his chest. He blinked down at it dumbly, then blew into pixels. (BLP: 6300-4900)

"Thanks to the effect of Viper's Grudge, I gain a second Alien Researcher!" Blackwood watched as his new monster appeared, unsurprised to see a new shadow figure appear in the darkness on Jessie's half of the field. "Your Sting and Pincer trap…"

"Not to mention Meanae's effect, letting me get two more searches…" Jessie said. "Still think my luck is extraordinary or you finally realizing it's my skill?"

"This, from the woman who has won three seperate state lotteries and a national one in the span of a year. I set one card face-down and end my turn." Blackwood swept the card into his disk, both of his Researchers' suddenly lighting up. "During the End Phase, my Researchers let me add a card that refers to A-Counters from my deck to my hand. So I get two."

"My move!" Jessie drew and the darkness around her field began to clear as Ocarina's effect trilled out again. "I send Dark Arena to the graveyard to activate Altar of the Mind's Eye!"

The ground rumbled as a massive altar in an open-air temple rose up behind her. Resting atop the altar was a glittering golden rod with a bejeweled Eye of Horus decorating the top. The vanishing darkness revealed a new monster on her field, a burly bald man in Dark Scorpion clothing wielding a mace that Blackwood recognized as Gorg The Strong. (1800/1000)

"Graceful Charity! I draw three, then discard two!" Jessie snapped up the cards, scarcely glancing at them before discarding her chosen ones. "Activate spell card - Forced March!"

Her five monsters all stood up and saluted in unison. "This card halves all the attack of all my monsters and then if that leaves them with less than a thousand, they can attack you directly!" (1400-700) (1800-900) (1000-500) (800-400) (300-150)

"_What a play! Jessie may have left her monsters with a measly amount of points, but she can attack directly with all five of them! Not only will her Scorpions get to activate their effects, her field spell will answer her prayers and give Blackwood some major damage! Altar of the Mind's Eye means all damage players take is set flat one thousand! Five monsters is five thousand!" _Cathy sounded ecstatic as Jessie's monsters all readied themselves. _"One hundred more life points than Blackwood has left! Is this going to be a second stunning defeat for Yoshito?"_

" 'Stunning' is hardly the modifier I'd prefer you use…" Yoshito muttered under his breath.

"Go, Jessie! You got this! Take him down!"

Yoshito's eyes flicked over in the direction of the shout. Standing near the courtyard's doorway and hidden by a brazier from the field spell's effect was a young man. He looked familiar and it clicked a second later. The dossier his people had provided him about Lero's chosen duelists said this was Raymon Epicatte, Jessie's boyfriend of eight months.

_He's not a duelist and his family works in printing, so he is not a threat in any means. _Yoshito was about to brush aside the man's presence when he spied one of the camera drones out of the corner of his eye. A smirk tugged at his lips as an idea began to worm its way into his mind. _That being said, he could become a very strategic asset. The dueling field isn't the only path to victory in this tournament._

"Alright, here we go! Let's sound the attack-" A trumpet note split the air above Jessie's field as she snapped out her hand to point at Blackwood. Her monsters all tensed. " -and charge!"

Her monsters surged forwards as a group, but Blackwood didn't back down in the face of the coming beating. "Despite your luck, your odds of victory are at zero here! Reverse card open - Staunch Defender!" The trap lifted, one of his Researchers glowing as her monsters all switched targets to it. "Now all of your weak monsters are about to crash into Researcher's twenty-two hundred defense points!"

"You can't turn my tricks on me that easily!" Jessie yanked a card from her hand and slammed it into her disk. "The quick-play spell! Dark Scorpion - Double Bluff!"

Don skidded to a halt in front of the Researcher, pistols barking. The alien typed a few commands, a prismatic shield springing up in front of him to intercept the bullets. But it didn't intercept Gorg as he came up behind the alien and crushed him into pixels with one strike of his mace. "Now my Scorpions can't die, don't take damage and any monster they fight dies!"

"_Talk about a turnaround's turnaround! Jessie's all out charge almost backfired, but she got out of the mess with split-second timing! But I don't know what she'll do now - since the monster targeted by Staunch Defender is destroyed, she still can't attack for the rest of the turn!" _

"I'll be feeding you that mic next…" Jessie muttered and grabbed a card from her hand as her monsters retreated to her side of the playing field. "I set this card face-down! End turn!"

"Draw." Blackwood plugged the new card into his disk. "I activate the continuous spell card A-Cell Culture Habitat. And then I will summon Alien Ammonite in attack mode." There was wet scuttling noise over the stone floor of Jessie's field spell and out of the shadows came a multi-limbed pulsating, tentacled mass of flesh. (500/200)

Jessie made a face. "What is that? Where's it's face!?" Her expression fell more when the Ammonite gurgled and shifted, twisting as if it was looking at her. "No, no, I changed my mind! I don't want to see what it uses for a face!"

"_Why is it the size of a large dog?" _Cathy didn't sound any happier than Jessie, taking a few pointed steps backwards. _"Why does it sound so hungry?" _

"Alien Ammonite may look disturbing, but it is a Tuner monster. Which means I can now tune it together with my level four Alien Researcher!" With a wet squelching noise, the Ammonite exploded into a synchro ring that looped around Researcher and turned him into a pillar of light. _"Invade the minds, bodies and hearts of all other races! Your spawn will be as countless as the stars themselves! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Alien Broodmother!" (2400/2400)_

The light exploded outwards, clearing to reveal the new monster. Jessie cringed at the sight of it, her five monsters all looking a bit green themselves. Much larger than either duelist, Broodmother was a gelatinous mass of scaly tendrils, slimy tentacles and clear-green bubbles of flesh littered over her body that held more Alien Ammonites. The only thing solid-looking about the Synchro Monster was the several gaping mouths filled with fangs. "Oh god, it's like a squid and a spider had a drunken one-night stand!"

"_Ladies and gentlemen, I belatedly inform you that this duel has taken a PG-13 turn. And it may go into R territory if that thing attacks…" _Cathy grimaced as she stepped back again - a puddle of something was spreading from the Alien and it looked sticky. "_Ugh...why did I wear my nice dress shoes today?" _

Blackwood seemed unperturbed by his monster. But then, his sunglasses were doing a marvelous job at hiding his expression. "I activate the spell A-Cell Scatter Burst."

Alien Broodmother gurgled, swelled grotesquely and exploded. Screams erupted Jessie and the audienced as the clear fluid splattered over them all. Thankfully, it just broke apart into ones and zeroes that faded away.

"What the freak was that for!?" Jessie demanded as she wiped some of the gunk off her hair and tried not to think about how being famous meant the Internet was going to turn this moment into something risque.

"A-Cell Scatter Burst destroys one Alien I have. Then I distribute A-Counters among monsters in play equal to its level." Blackwood said, looking a bit pleased with himself. "Or did you not notice your monsters' new additions?"

"New additions-" Jessie looked at her monsters, who all struggled to clean themselves of the gunk from Broodmother. Her eyes widened as she saw pulsating, purple growths on their bodies. She did a quick count of them. "They each have two of those things...are those the A-Counters!?"

"Yes. They each got one from A-Cell Scatter Burst and Alien Slime gives all of your monsters one when it goes to the graveyard." Blackwood thrust a hand up into the air. "And now you'll see why! When Broodmother leaves the field, her special ability activates! I summon one Alien monster from my graveyard for each monster you have that is infected!"

Light erupted skywards in front of him, resolving into five pillars. Out of the first erupted a bulky alien who had at least eight red limbs tipped in glistening claws and a mouth with far more teeth than it needed. "Alien Overlord!" (2200/1600)

The second pillar melted away, revealing a familiar burbaling form. "Alien Ooze!"

The third pillar was torn apart by writhing tentacles, squishing noises filling the air again. "Alien Broodmother!"

The last two pillars vanished, revealing powerfully built Aliens with white carapace, pulsing purple ovoids on them and at least six limbs. "And two Alien Mother!" (2300/1500)

"_Blackwood's just summoned a whole menagerie of malicious aliens who looked like they came from Star Trek! And I doubt they'll be willing to obey the Prime Directive and it's non-interference clause!"_

"I activate Alien Overlord's ability! All of your monsters gaine one more A-Counter!" Blackwood smiled in satisfaction as all of Jessie's monsters began to sprout a third set of growths. "Alien Slime and Overlord share a special ability! When a monster with A-Counters battles an Alien, that monster loses three hundred attack and defense points! So now all five of my monsters attack!"

Sprays of pixels exploded over Jessie's field as the Alien monsters plowed through her three Dark Scorpions, Bloom and Ocarina like they were nothing. Claw strikes and tentacle whips slammed into her with one collective hit. Jessie was sent skidding backwards, slamming back into the altar of her field spell. "The effect of...Altar's of Mind's Eye...reduces the damage…!" (JLP: 8000-3000)

"_How brutal! With just one card, Blackwood swarmed the field and nearly gave her an OTK from full life points! If it hadn't been for her field spell, she'd be a goner! Talk about luck!" _

"Jessie!" Raymon took a sharp step forwards at seeing his girlfriend get hit so hard. He was stopped as a figure moved into the corner of his vision and his expression soured. "What do you want?"

"There's no reason to be rude. I just have a question for you." Yoshito said, holding up a hand placatingly..

"What is it?" Raymon kept his gaze on the duel, though it would flick back to Yoshito ever now and again. And thus, he missed the camera drone dropping in to get both men in shot.

"You've been here about four days, correct?" When Raymon nodded, Yoshito continued. "Then perhaps you can help me. Where is Bellerophon Pegasus and Sumire Kaiba? Why aren't they here?"

"I, ah…" Raymon shifted awkwardly. "Lero's...hurt. Yeah, he's hurt. And on bedrest. There was an issue with one of those old Duel Arenas. Yeah...it kind of blew up in his face."

"I see. How unfortunate that such an accident would occur right before the tournament." Yoshito said. "What about Sumire?"

"I haven't seen her much. Sumire's shut herself away for most of this…" Raymon caught sight of the camera drone as it drifted around them in a circle and Yoshito had to suppress a grin at the sight of him paling ever so slightly. Or how the other man's eyes widened as his brain finally reminded him he was on live television with more than half of the world's population watching. "I mean...she's kind of private…"

"Oh. Is she with Bellerophon?" Yoshito did smile this time as Raymon squirmed.

"No I don't think so. She just wanted to stay out of the way-"

"But this tournament is all about her. What on earth would give her the idea that she would be in the way?" Yoshito sighed almost tragically. "That poor girl - how confused she must be to willingly be shut out of deciding her own fate."

"No, wait, that's not - I mean, she's busy - she hasn't left Lero's side since he got hurt-" Raymon stumbled over the words.

"Of course she hasn't. He's a lonely man trying to fill the shoes of his father, stuck on an island where he's king and everyone has to listen to him." Yoshito shook his head in resignation. "She came here hoping to talk, but he never listened to her. Or the world."

He turned his attention back to the duel as Raymon spluttered behind him, trying very hard to not smirk. _Well, then, Bellerophon. Have you realized yet that you can't win the war, let alone this battle? _

He watched Jessie and grim determination on her face. _Or are you just going to throw all your friends under the proverbial bus until there aren't any left?_

"Reverse card open!" Leaning back against the Altar for support, Jessie was glad she could just snap her fingers to make it happen. "Shock Draw! I draw one cad for every thousand damage I just took!"

"While you're busy drawing, my Culture Habitat has come into play." Blackwood gestured to his continuous card, which now had enough lights circling it that was like a bug zapper and moths. "It collects A-Counters from your destroyed monsters."

"Good for it!" Jessie finished drawing her new hands, a glint in her eyes. "You going to do anything else or can I start my turn and finish you?"

"I set one card face-down." Blackwood slid the card into his disk and it appeared in front of him, giving him two set cards hidden behind the bulk of his Alien attack force. "End turn."

"I draw!" Jessie snapped it up, frowning as one of Blackwood's cards lifted. "Now what!?"

"The trap Planet Pollutant Virus is what." One of his Alien Mother's shrieked and exploded into particles that began to saturate the air. "By destroying my monster, now all monsters you summon for the next three turns will gain an A-Counter!"

"Tch, so all my guys are gonna wind up sporting those leeches? Fine! I'll still beat you down! Activate Monster Reborn!" In a flash of light, a new monster appeared in front of her. It was a child-sized frog dressed in a raincoat and jumping up and down excitedly. "Gekko, Mystical Medium of the Forest! And now-" (800/1600)

"Reverse card open! Quick Summon allows me to summon right now! Come out, Alien Mars in defense mode!" His new monster was much smaller than the others, not much more than a bulbous triangle head supported by three over-sized tendrils like a tripod. "With this monster in play, all monsters with A-Counters have their effects negated!" (1000/1000)

"What?" Jessie grimaced as Gekko gained a new purple growth, sagging to the ground defeatedly as his colors were leached away. "The hell is this? You've been going on about my luck, but you're the one with all the clever moves!"

"Clever as it may be, the Wheeler luck has is renowned for defeating such things. In fact, one might say that your family's luck is…" Blackwood adjusted his sunglasses. "Out of this world."

"I...why would…" Jessie's eyebrow twitched. "You dress like a stereotype secret agent...your nickname is 'The Intrigue'...and you use Alien monsters…"

"Yes."

The twitch happened again. "You're trying to determine if my family's luck is because we're descended from aliens, aren't you?"

"Yes. It is not wholly unreasonable. The Pyramids are not something that could have been built by human hands and it has been theorized that events of Duel Monsters attacking the world and Aurora Borlealis stretching across every hemisphere of the globe are the result of something not of this world. If they appear in the sky, why not be something from beyond our own world?" Blackwood said as if he were a college professor and Jessie a member of his class.

"Well, you're not all _wrong..._but you're not all right, either." Jessie said with another twitch. "So how about we split the difference, say you're all left."

"You can mock him all you like, Jessiebelle." Yoshito called to her. "But Mister Blackwood is here presenting his theories to the world at large and does so without fear or shame. Yet I cannot say the same about Bellerophon. And you risk so much for him, but he cannot be even here to cheer you on."

"I thought I said he was injured!" Raymon snapped back. "And I haven't seen you do anything but mock your Pros, Yoshito!"

"Raymon - you're not helping! Yoshito - shut the hell up!" Jessie grit her teeth, twitch growing a bit more. "Blackwood - let's get back to the duel! Go Snatch Steal!"

Alien Overlord winked out, reappearing on her side of the field. "Now that this card gives me control of your monster, I'll use his ability to give all of your monsters A-Counters!"

"Alien Mars cannot negate itself." Blackwood still didn't look happy as his other monsters all gained the pulsing A-Counters and crumpled down as their colors were stolen away thanks to their negated abilities.

"Doesn't matter to me! I activate the field spell Geartown!" The clanking of gears, pistons pounding and steam vented as around the stonework of Pegasus Castle became a calamitous mass of burnished steel, gigantic gears and copper pipes. "This card lets me summon Ancient Gear monsters with one less sacrifice, so I'll tribute Gekko for Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon!"

With a noisy rattling and clatter of armor plates, a dragon lumbered free of the depths of Geartown. Yellow eyes fixed on the Aliens and it let out a metallic hiss of challenge as steam billowed from its body. (3000/2500)

"Then I'll put your Overlord in touch with Dark Scorpion Guild! I equip him with Cliff The Trap Remover! This treats him as a Dark Scorpion and gives him half of Cliff's attack!" The Alien growled as ink seeped out onto all of its arms, transforming into the stylized scorpion that gave the Dark Scorpions their name. (2200-2800)

"Gadjitron Dragon attacks Alien Mother! _Gear Fire!_" The steampunk dragon reared up and spat out a stream of flaming gears that sliced the alien monster apart. (BLP: 6300-5600)

"Overlord attacks Alien Slime!" The Overlord didn't seem to care that he and the other Alien were on the same side just a turn ago. Not with the frenzy he threw himself upon the liquid monster and smashed it into puddles. (2400-2100) (BLP: 5600- 4900)

"Since Overlord has Cliff guiding him, I can activate Cliff's effects! Let's wipe the field of that Habitat!" Jessie grinned as the spell card began to glow violently...then two of the lights circling winked out and the card calmed. "Damn!"

"I can remove two A-Counters from A-Cell Culture Habitat to prevent it's destruction." Blackwood explained. His Viper's Grudge card glowed and spat out two more ALien Shocktroopers. "And I'll summon two more Reptiles from the deck thanks to my trap.

_Just what does it take to land a solid hit on this guy!? _Jessie glanced at her hand, then grit her teeth. "I end my turn."

"I draw." Blackwood snapped up the card, a brief glow surrounding him. "And thanks to your Snatch Steal, I gain one thousand life points." (BLP: 5900)

"_It looks Jessie may be running a bit short on luck! She barely managed to break even that last round! And Blackwood looks like he's ready to keep on hitting like a freight train!"_

"I activate Pot of Greed! Draw two cards!" Blackwood did so and slid one into his disk. "I activate A-Cell Harvester! Now I may sacrifice your monsters with A-Counters for my Aliens, though only my new monster may attack...and since you were so kind as to destroy Alien Slime…"

_Frick, I forgot about that effect…! _Jessie grimaced at the sight of the two A-Counters leeching onto her monsters.

"I sacrifice your Alien Overlord for my own copy!" The stolen monster winked out while a freshly angry one appeared in front of Blackwood. "Then I use the effect of A-Cell Culture Habitat to move eight counters to your Gadjitron dragon and use Overlord to give it a ninth new one! For a total of ten!"

The dragon staggered as more of the leech-like counters latched themselves onto it, its mechanical body grinding in what looked like painful motions. "Now my Overlord attacks and with ten counters, your dragon's stats are meaningless!"

The Overlord fell on Gadjitron Dragon with a vengeance, bolts and gears flying off in all directions as the alien's many limbs tore through the metal like buzzsaws. There was a disturbing whine and Jessie was shoved back as her dragon's power core detonated and reduced it to pixels. (JLP: 3000-800)

"Culture Habitat reclaims the counter your monster had." Blackwood watched as the motes of light rejoined their fellows in circling his spell card. "I end my turn."

"Draw!" Jessie yanked the card free, then flipped it around. "Go Roll of Fate! I roll one die, draw that many cards and then send that many from the deck to my graveyard!" A prismatic die appeared in her hand and she hurled it onto the playing field. It clattered across Geartown before coming up on a three. "Yes!"

She drew again and discarded her cards. "From my hand, Mystical Space Typhoon! I destroy Geartown!" A howling wind erupted around her, the cyclone shredding her field spell until they were back standing in Pegasus Castle courtyard. "When Geartown is totaled, I can summon an Ancient Gear monster from the deck! So here's another Gadjitron Dragon!"

With a roar, a second dragon exploded out of the ground behind her in a flurry of metal shards and stonework. "Then I activate a new field spell! Champion's Arena!"

The air around them twisted and warped before dropping everyone in a colosseum. Unlike the Roman original, it was made of pristine marble and granite with purple curtains, gold decorations and a thunderous, cheering crowd. "Here's how it works, Blackwood! In here, the monster with the highest level is the champion! Which means you can't change his stats, his attacks and effect can't be negated and it can attack all the weaklings at once! Go! _Gear Fire!" _

Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon surged forwards, a red-hot glow spilling out from the ramshackle body as it heated up with new power. Sparks began to surge around it as the gears inside it sped up and it roared wildly before opening its mouth to spew out a stream of flaming machinery at the aliens. Flesh sizzled and cooked, armor cracked and explode and blue blood splattered everywhere at the attack shredded the advanced race like a hot knife through butter. All of Blackwood's monsters gave off dying groans and blew into pixels. (BLP: 5800-4700-3600-2800-2200)

_"What a comeback! With just two cards, Jessie's totaled his strategy! Now his Aliens can't weaken Gadjitron Dragon with A-Counters and Broodmother can't summon anything or else that dragon can attack it! THe same goes for Viper's Rebirth!" _Cathy pumped a fist in the air. "_This is the power of the World Traveller, folks!"_

_There's more to it, Cathy. _Jessie allowed herself a smirk. _He could give the effects of the Arena to one of his monsters if he summoned one that had a level higher than eight. But the Aliens don't have a monster whose level is higher than seven! And even if he has a Synchro Monster who does…_

She slid a card into her disk. _My Dimensional Wall gets around the Arena's effects and will make him eat all the damage! _"I end my turn!"

"Draw." Blackwood drew for his turn. "There is another factor about your families' luck that makes my theory more plausible than most. Your luck is extraordinary...but it is also prone failing you when you need it most." He slapped down a card and a rather cute, if very alien-looking, dog appeared in front of him. It barked and began to pant with a blue tongue, looking just happy to be there. "I summon Alien Dog." (1500/1100)

"...what." Jessie blinked at the dog. "I know that one - you can't even use it's effect because you normal summoned it! How is that unlucky?"

"It's not- but my set trap is. Reveal Mass Hypnosis!" The trap lifted and Gadjitron Dragon suddenly wheeled about to face Jessie. "I take control of all monsters that have A-Counters! Attack! _Gear Fire!" _

The flaming machinery crashed over Jessie, shoving her backwards again even as the roar of the attack drowned out her cry. (JLP: 800-0)

"Jessie!" Raymon shoved past Yoshito, diving for his girlfriend even as the dueling field began to dissolve away.

"_What an upset! Despite showing off the skill that made her number ten in the world in just two short years, Jessiebelle's raw talent was overcome by Blackwood's refined skill! Even if the man's theories are questionable, his rank as number eight in the world isn't up for debate!" _Cathy exclaimed. "_Blackwood didn't miss a single step during the whole duel!"_

"Jessie…" Raymon had stopped two steps from her, watching her frozen form like she was a deer who might startle at any moment. He reached for her shoulder which seemed to snap her out of whatever trance had befallen her. Her face hardened like rock and she swatted his hand away and stormed off into the castle.

Yoshito watched him trail after her as he heard the courtyard's doors open up into the interior of the castle. He could feel the cameras on him and he forced a relieved smile onto his face. "A surprise victory. So now I am one step closer to helping Miss Kaiba and putting all this nonsense behind us once and for all."

He led the way into the castle, readjusting his tie and trying not to imagine he was loosening a noose. _One victory for each side. The whole world is watching. If my little word games don't rattle Bellerophon's remaining duelists or public opinion doesn't character assassinate him, then the risk to my company…my family's debt…_

A shiver crawled down his spine as he considered what his family owed. _No amount of money will work...but if I can get my hands on Industrial Illusions and the Bleeding Edge technology, then…_

The shiver of fear became a shiver of delight that fed his grin of grim satisfaction. _Then nothing will be beyond my reach…!_

TTTTTTT

The darkness that was the Duelist Kingdom did not know how long a 'soon' was, but it did know that it 'soon' would eventually become 'now'.

There was conflict on it, the island could feel that. It was...dueling, yes. That was what the collection of souls that were its heart, it's mind, said. It throbbed and pulsed harder as the duels happened. The conflict was shedding spiritual energy that was making it...more. More there, more real, more aware.

And as it became more aware, the seething mass of souls was smoothed. Creases ironed out, cracks folded together and the many individuals began to lean towards being a singular entity. And now it was knowledgeable enough to know, despite its anger and pain, it was going to need patience. As the wailing dischordan many became less than many, it decided to be patient by coming up with something.

A name.

A name would make it more unique, more aware and it knew from those it was consuming, names were important to everything else in the world. A name was a power all its own. Having one made an individual more so, made them more dangerous.

And so, it began to think. Digging through the collection of pained souls and their memories like flipping through pages of a catalogue in a waiting room, Duelist Kingdom began to think.

TTTTTTT

The entrance hall of Pegasus Castle had been redone several times since Maxmillion had moved in. Like the location of the Vault in a tower instead of below ground, it was calculated artistry. The hallway leading between it and the main door was narrow enough that Yoshito's group had to walk side-by-side while Cathy's drones trailed behind in single file like a pack of flying puppies. Moreover, the hall was set so that one could not see beyond the end until you'd crossed the door itself. A design choice that gave more 'punch' to the entrance hall.

It was remarkably effective, as evidenced by Cathy's little squeal of excitement as her drones scattered to catch it from every available angle and the low whistle of appreciation from Crypt. Yoshito had to admit to himself that he was impressed, as well. The entrance was grand, spacious and looked almost bare. But a closer look revealed the marble patterning on the floor was actually a black/white map of the island, the columns had everything from hieroglyphics to Cyrillic letterings on them and the windows that let in the waves of sunlight were tinted ever-so slightly.

Most impressive, though, was the woman standing at the hall's other entrance. Though her two-tone red hair was styled professionally, her expression was fierce and her clothing even fiercer - dark red and electric blue under a sharp-edged black trenchcoat. "Kaede. A pleasure to meet the Devil Dragon Eliminator in person."

"Save it!" Kaede thrust a finger out at his group and Yoshito was surprised at the undercurrent in her voice. It was faint, but it was raw...and angry. "We all know why we're here and I'm not here to entertain you or your delusions, Yoshito! So pick your next duelist!"

"If you're that impatient, then I-" Yoshito frowned as a figure stepped past him. "-apparently did not make it clear in your contracts that I am in charge."

"We're duelists, Yo-yo." Clad in baggy sweats and an open hoodie with gold chains half-down his chest, reverse baseball cap and shades, only the Duel Disk on the man's arm identified him as such. "The fight's in our blood. And my blood's burning hot at the chance to duel the Devil Dragon, ya dig?"

"ZZ Toppa." Kaede folded her arms. "Number 9 in the world. You'd be higher on the list, but you only really duel when your music career starts floundering."

"It ain't about the dough, it's about puttin' my heart and my soul in the lyrics, reaching to the people. If I need a little green to make my ends meet, then I'll put my heart and soul in my cards." Toppa activated his Duel Disk, drawing his opening hand. "You're making my duelist's spirit beat like the whole drumline chorus, Devil Dragon! I can't wait to hear the music of your deck!"

"Heh. The music of my deck is the roar of the hellfire and the wailing of lost souls!" Kaede ripped her top five cards off her deck with a dramatic sharpness, an action that honed her smirk and narrowed eyes into dangerous edges. "I'll be happy to add your screams to the chorus!"

TTTTTTTT

_A/N: __With the score evened up, the third duel commences! Kaede seems to be ready to challenge Jackie for creepiest duel so far, but as Blackwood has shown, Pro Duelists don't become Pros by chance! ZZ Toppa is coming hot, spicy and raw on this beat - er, duel!_

_Next Chapter: Vs ZZ Toppa! Hellfire and Hot Sauce! _

Created Cards:

_Blackwood:_

Alien Slime  
LIGHT  
6 stars  
Reptile/Effect  
2400/1000  
Effect: When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, place one 'A-Counter' on each face-up monster your opponent controls. (If a monster with an 'A-Counter' battles an Alien monster, that monster loses 300 ATK and DEF for each 'A-Counter' during damage calculation only.)

Alien Researcher  
LIGHT  
4 stars  
Reptile/Effect  
0/2200  
Effect: During your End Phase, if there are three or more 'A-Counters' on the field, you may add one Continuous Spell or Trap Card that mentions 'A-Counters' in its card text from your Deck to your Hand.

Alien Broodmother  
EARTH  
5 stars  
Reptile/Synchro/Effect  
2400/2400

Effect: 1 Tuner Monster + 1 or more 'Alien' monsters.  
When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can Special Summon one 'Alien' monster from your Graveyard for each face-up monster your opponent controls that has an 'A-Counter'.

A-Cell Culture Habitat  
Continuous Spell Card  
Effect: When a card possessing 'A-Counters' is destroyed, place those 'A-Counters' on this card. During your turn, you may move any number of 'A-Counters' on this card to face-up monster(s) on your opponent's side of the field. If this card would be destroyed, you may remove two 'A-Counters' form this card instead.

Image: Alien Researcher standing on over a tableful of petri dishes that all have tiny A-Counters floating in them.

A-Cell Harvester  
Continuous Spell Card  
Effect: If you would Tribute Summon an 'Alien' monster, you may Tribute monsters your opponent controls that have 'A-Counters' as if you controlled them. During the turn you use this effect, only the Tributed Summoned monster(s) may attack and they cannot attack directly.

_Jessie: _

Bloom, The Forest Princess  
EARTH  
4 stars  
Plant/Effect  
800/2200  
Effect: If this is the only monster you control and you activate a Field Spell Card, Special Summon one 'Forest' monster from your Deck.

Ocarina, The Forest Songbird  
WIND  
2 stars  
Winged-Beast/Effect  
300/200  
Effect: Once per turn, you can send one Field Spell Card you control the Graveyard, activate one Field Spell Card from your Deck. If you control 'Bloom, The Forest Princess, you may activate this effect as a Quick Effect. You must have another face-up 'Forest' monster on your side of the field to activate and resolve this effect.

Cave of Wonders -Scorpion's Nest  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: When this card is activated, add one 'Dark Scorpion' monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your Hand. 'Dark Scorpion' monsters you control may attack your opponent directly, but if they do, all damage inflicted becomes 400. If your opponent discards cards from their Hand or Deck by the effect of 'Dark Scorpion' card, place 1 'Scorpion Counter' on this card. Once per turn, you may remove any number of Scorpion Counters to activate the appropriate effect:  
2+: Draw 1 card  
3+: Discard 1 card. Set one 'Dark Scorpion' Spell or Trap from your Deck to your side of the field. It may be activated this turn.  
4+: Special Summon 2 'Dark Scorpion' monsters from your Hand or Graveyard.

Image: The Dark Scorpions all lounging in a cave filled with treasures of all sorts.

Dark Scorpion - Sting and Pincer  
Trap Card  
Effect: When a 'Dark Scorpion' monster you control inflicts damage to your opponent's life points, you may Special SUmmon one 'Dark Scorpion' monster from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard. If this card is destroyed by the effect of a card your opponent controls, Special Summon one 'Dark Scorpion' monster from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard. Then, if you do, select and activate one of those monster's effects.

Image: Chick the Yellow looking sheepish and innocent, hiding a Pot of Greed behind his back, in front of Goblin of Greed while Gorg comes up behind the Goblin with a bat.

Dark Scorpion- Double Bluff  
Quick-play Spell  
Effect: During this turn, 'Dark Scorpion' monsters cannot be destroyed as a result of battle and you take no battle damage from battles involving 'Dark Scorpion' monsters. Any monster that battles a 'Dark Scorpion' monster is destroyed at the end of the Damage Step. If this set card is sent to the graveyard as a result of a card your opponent controls, you can select one 'Dark Scorpion' monster you control, activate one of its effects. You can only use this effect of 'Dark Scorpion - Double Bluff' once per turn.

Image: Don Zaloog playing cards with White Magical Hat, Bewitching Phantom Thief and Great Phantom Thief, holding a hand with five Kings.

Dark Scorpion Guild  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Target one face-up monster you control. Equip it with one 'Dark Scorpion' monster from your Hand or Deck. The equipped monster gains half of the equipped 'Dark Scorpion's attack and if the equipped monster inflicts battle damage, you may activate one of the equipped monster's effects.

Image: Meanae underneath in a 'Help Wanted' booth a job fair, flirting with the crowd as a disguised Chick, Cliff and Don all pickpocket the unaware marks.

Forced March  
Spell Card  
Effect: Halve the ATK of all face-up monsters you control. During this turn, all monsters you control that have less than 1000 ATK as a result of this effect may attack your opponent's life points directly.

_Note: This card appeared in the Yugioh GX anime and was used by Bonaparte. I have altered the effect to make it more balanced as the original version halved all monsters' attacks, then let them attack directly after that no matter how high the attack was._

Champion's Arena  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: The monster with the highest level above Level 6 on the field gains the following effects:  
-It's ATK and DEF cannot be changed by an opponent's card effects  
-It can attack all face-up monsters your opponent controls once each. It may not attack directly and other monsters you control may not attack.  
-It's effects cannot be negated.  
-It's attack cannot be negated.

If your opponent controls the highest level monster on the field, this card cannot be destroyed and you cannot activate Field Spell Cards

Image: Orgoth the Relentless standing in the center of a colosseum, looming over the defeated bodies of Battle Ox, Garoozis, Rude Kaiser, Battle Warrior and all of Goblin Attack Force.


	11. VS Toppa! Hellfire and Hot Sauce!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __Many thanks to MultiplePersonas, who helped me with the design of ZZ Toppa, his deck and writing both!_

Chapter 11: VS Toppa! Hellfire and Hot Sauce!

About one minute and thirty seconds after her duel had ended and she'd stormed off, Jessie's phone began to blow up. First it was the _Money Makes The World Go_ _Round _flashing 'MAI VALENTINE' in time to the beat before it was rudely interrupted with _Who Let The Dogs Out _and 'JOEY WHEELER'.

Twenty seconds after she'd declined both calls, it began to rain pings as text messages along the lines of 'We know what it feels to lose' and 'Call me. I'm worried'.

Five seconds after that, Instagram, Twitter and SnapChat all followed up with a barrage of messages and alerts from her followers, friends and her manager wanting to discuss 'the few paths remaining to you'.

One second later, the phone was hurling through the air. "I don't want to fucking people right now!"

Why couldn't any of them understand? O did they just not care?

_It's not that I lost a duel. It's the fact I let them down._

Lero had bet everything on her. Her and the others and she'd come up short. The Pegasus heir was one of her best friends and so was Sumire. _ Some friend I turned out to be!_

Her fist slammed into the wall, but the pain barely registered. _Dueling is my career, my life but when it mattered most, I got crushed!_

Blackwood's words about her family's luck failing them when they needed it the most echoed in her head. _Dad...he always was 'just enough' lucky. But even after everything, he still broke even. Wins just enough to support himself, never got that championship title…_

She was supposed to be the very lucky one, the one upon whom the goddess of fortune had smiled. _But it never works. Found a sunken treasure galleon but it was empty. Won lotteries I couldn't keep because I didn't have citizenship. Trekked in the Amazon and found a lost temple that sparked a legal war between the government and the natives._

Her fist clenched tighter and struck the wall hard enough the pain registered this time. _Have two best friends who can't be happy together because I couldn't do my goddamn job!_

"I told you that case was worth the investment." Raymon said casually as he picked up the fallen device. True to his words, there wasn't even a scratch or dent on her phone.

"Did you just hear me I don't want to fucking people right now?" Jessie fumed at him.

"Yeah, the rest of the island and I all heard. But, I'm not a people, I'm a person." Raymon said with a shrug and a smile. It only infuriated her more.

"How can you just stand there like that?! I blew it! Don't you get that?!"

"I do get that. But I also get that you can't blow it any more than you have." Raymon said, not even blinking when she growled. "You lost, Jess-Jess. Getting mad and trying to punch down the castle won't make it better or help Lero any. Also, I know you well enough to know none of that actually makes you feel better."

He held out her phone. "But hey, maybe the thousandth time is the charm."

Jessie looked at him, then snatched the phone out of his hand. "Don't be smart with me!"

"The don't use me target practice when you're pissed." Raymon said back just as curtly. "Look, your cousin is dueling next. And I know Lero's still on bedrest. It's better use of your time and energy to see one of them than standing here, getting upset."

Her violet eyes fell. "I can't look him in the face. Or Sumire."

"Jess-jess. The whole world is ready to jump down their throats." He nodded at her phone, which was still pinging as a fresh barrage of messages and alerts came through. "I think they need their friends now more than ever. Even if those friends think they're losers."

Jessie folded her arms, looking away in a huff. Everything inside her still simmered and yearned to punch the wall again. _And if this is how bad I feel...Lero and Sumire…_

"Fine." she said at last and held up her phone. "Can I throw this again? I'm tired of listening to it."

"Better idea." Raymon took it back and held a button on the side. The phone's screen winked out. "Off switch."

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Forgot that was a thing" Jessie shoved her phone away, trying to ignore the fact she hadn't really shut her phone off since the day she'd gotten it. Five years previously.

Her luck kicked in again and her stomach gurgled. "Let's get something to eat. I skipped breakfast. And I don't need to pass out while apologizing."

"Okay." He smiled a bit. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"I refuse to dignify that with a response."

"...which you just did."

"I - you - hush up!"

TTTTTT

_"We're on round three and if the duels so far are any indication, this one's going to be hot hot hot!" _Cathy punctuated her remark with a dramatic sweep of her arm that her drones mimicked, spreading out in a ring to get good angles on both duelists. _"Claiming to be a duelist who captures an entire decade, representing Ironwrought Industries is the man ranked ninth in the world! ZZ Toppa!" _

"I'm flushin' you down to the sewer, yo!" the rapper taunted, twin medallions bouncing on the chest of his hoodie.

"_And the third duelist of Lero's Angels, the one, the only, the Eliminator you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley! Or anywhere else! The Devil Dragon! Kaede!"  
_

The drones swooped around to catch Kaede's response, but she remained motionless. Arms folded, expression hard and eyes focused on nothing but her opponent.

"_They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but a look like that speaks volumes! So let's cut to the chase! The world is watching, the decks are shuffled and the stakes are impossible!" _Cathy jabbed a finger in the air. "_Bride Tournament! Round Three! Start!" _

Her words echoed away into silence, neither duelist so much as moving a muscle and a couple of drones circled them in helpless confusion. "_Ummm…"_

Yoshito frowned at the pair, glancing between them in mounting frustration. "We haven't got all day. The other two duels started without any incident! What's so special about this one?"

"Just goes to show you really don't play the game." Crypt rolled his eyes as he leaned against a pillar, unbothered by the annoyed grunt Yoshito gave him. "This isn't a race. We duelists decide when we start, not a moment sooner."

"Mmm." Blackwood agreed from Yoshito's opposite side, doing a rather impressive impersonation of a mannequin given how little his lips moved when he spoke. "They're feeling each other out, trying to get a read on each other."

"What? That is absurd." Yoshito protested and pointed out at the dueling field. Kaede stil hadn't moved and Toppa had launched into a free-style verse, complete with dance moves. "She's a statue and he's...he's a cliche!"

"Toppa is an odd duck, no question." Crypt agreed. "But he's not some amatuer buying into his own hype here. That guy's got a style all his own and I've never seen him get rattled, no matter the situation. His opponents, though…" He shrugged. "Well, the more serious they are, the worse it can get for them. And that girl's wound like a spring."

"Don't sell Miss Kaede short." Blackwood said. "Eliminators specialize in mind games. And from what I've heard of her, the Devil Dragon can't be shaken up or made to act in anger. She wields her flames like a welder's torch: very precise and highly powered."

"You duelists...you both sound like you're all drinking the same Kool-Aid…" Yoshito said under his breath. He stared at Kaede with...well, he wasn't going to call it nervousness, but it was a close relative. _All my people got on her was a name and a face - it's like she doesn't exist in anyone's network or databanks! There's not even a last name! Out of all the duelists Bellerophon collected, she's the most unknown. If there was just a weakness I could exploit and sic the media on…_

"You're not even a obstacle/I put ya in the hospital/Make your hair stand on end/Yeah, every last follicle knows I'm unstoppable!" Toppa punched the air in a dramatic move that left his chains rattling, his hand opening as if he were letting go of something.

Kaede closed her eyes, the corner of her mouth lifting. "Did you just mic drop me?"

"Depends. You gonna pick it up?" Toppa cracked his own grin.

The redhead reached for her deck and ripped her hand free. The motion kicked out a scattering of embers that landed on the floor and erupted into flames that left her coat billowing before vanishing briefly.

"Alright, that's tight/Let's make this game outta-sight!" Toppa drew his own opening hand, his grin spreading wider.

"LET'S DUEL!" (KLP: 8000) (TLP: 8000)

TTTTTTT

Sumire watched the exchange, leaning forwards with interest. "Why did they not mention Kaede's last name? It seems like no one knows who she is…"

"That's kind of our fault." Lero said with a bit of a shrug. "Yugi's marriage was a media nightmare - crazed fans, rivals, you name it. Wound up eloping and then putting on a show later just to avoid the hassle. So when his wife got pregnant, Yugi talked to my dad and asked him to bury his daughter's existence."

"How? He is Yugi Mouto, the matter of her birth must be public record and you said she lives with her family in his game shop." Sumire pointed out. "I feel that someone would put two and two together."

"Nope. See, Kaede is very good at acting like she's a background character and not standing out; says she gets it from her mother. When she started dueling, she specifically avoided drawing any attention to it and stuck to being an Eliminator. Since she works for I2, it was easy enough to dress her up, hide her last name and make sure she and her father were never in the same place during official things." Lero said, scratching his cheek. "And of course...there's 'that', too…"

"That?" Jackie looked up from where she was digging around Kaede's abandoned laptop. "What's 'that'?"

"You'll see." Lero said with a sage nod, then blinked as he heard a familiar mewing noise from the laptop. "Are you watching cat videos!?"

"Don't judge me! Today is sucky and kittens are adorable!"

TTTTTTT

"Aiight, first turn!" Toppa announced as he drew his opening hand. He picked up another and slammed it onto his disk, a gold-plated, overly square model. "I'll be poppin' out Mushroom Toppa, in defense mode, yo!"

He slapped down the card, and a monster appeared crouched before him. It was short and fat, a humanoid shape in a white tank top and baggy, oversized jeans. Its head, though, was overly wide, and it scowled back at them with a mouth that was half gold teeth. (400/1000)

"That is…" Yoshito stared at the monster, his eye twitching. "I don't even know what that is!"

Crypt lifted an eyebrow in his employer's direction. "You really didn't look at the cards we asked you to buy for us, did you?"

"It's Duel Monsters - I assumed the name was literal!" Yoshito huffed back. "That thing is only a monster of bad taste!"

"It looks like it would taste lovely with some butter." Blackwood said mildly.

"Oooh, yeah, throw some bacon bits in there with it…"

"Stop talking about potential heart attacks." Yoshito grumbled. "Toppa's about to give me one if all his monsters are like that."

"Yo, when Mushroom Toppa's summoned, I get to grab two more Toppas from my deck!" Toppa announced, seizing two more cards.

"That doesn't bode well for my health…" Yoshito muttered.

"You gon' spend this whole duel complaining?" Toppa called over his shoulder. "When ZZ Toppa got his flow goin', ain't nothing can stop him! Next, I be activatin' Double Summon, to bring out another monster! Come on, Onion Toppa, in attack mode!"

Toppa slapped down another card, and a new monster appeared next to his mushroom. This one was much taller and leaner, dressed in a hoodie, basketball shorts, and white sneakers. Gold knuckle plates were worn on both of its hands, each inscribed with the word "TOPPA" spelled out in small diamonds. Oh, and its head was a big white onion. (1800/800)

"And when he's summoned, I can banish a Toppa from my deck to grab me a Heatza Sauce from my deck!" He fanned out his deck, slipping one card into his pocket and adding another to his hand, then aggressively shuffled and replaced his deck inside his disk. "And why stop when I straight pimpin'? I'll activate it right now! Heatza Sauce - Marinara!"

"It's a food deck." Yoshito said flatly, the twitch in his eye happening again. "Why is it a food deck?"

"There's like a billion cards…"

"You use demons and Blackwood has Aliens. Why does the rapper have a food deck?!"

"Why can't he have one?" Blackwood asked in that mild tone.

Yoshito opened his mouth, closed it and then just folded his arms. _I am beginning to regret this decision…_

Meanwhile, Toppa activated his spell and a wave of red splashed over the field. It could've been mistaken for blood, if there weren't bits of basil scattered throughout. Though the crowd stared, Toppa's monsters splashed the sauce on themselves, giving smug grins. As quickly as it came, though, the sauce drained away. "With this card, I banish a Toppa monster from my hand, yo, and get to draw two more!" he announced. He pocketed yet another card, then drew two more. He smiled and admired his hand of seven. "Then I lay this down end it," he announced.

A set card materialized behind his Mushroom Toppa.

"I draw!" Kaede tugged her card free, slipping it into her hand and grabbing two more in the same motion. "I set one monster in defense mode and one card face-down!" In a swirl of pixels, both cards materialized before her. "End turn!"

Toppa just stared, then cocked his head at Yoshito. "You really needed me to take care o' dis bee-yotch?" he called out as he drew his card. "Your money, man. Whatevs." He drew a card, and immediately slapped it down. "Time for another Heatza Sauce - Marinara!" he announced.

With a splash, another wave of red sauce swept the field, then vanished once more.

"I be banishin' one more Toppa to draw two!" Toppa announced, pulling yet another card from his hand before seizing two more. His face lit up when he saw the last one. "Oh, it's heatin' up now, big time! Keep your eyes on this, because I'm activatin' the Continuous Spell, Heatza Oven!"

The rapper slammed the card into his disk, and an enormous contraption rose up behind him. It was a colossal wood-fired oven made of iron, topped with a demonic grinning face. Long slots were opened along the front, exposing the fiery interior. Flames licked the air, and everyone but the duelists backed away at a sudden burst of heat.

"_Toppa has conjured what looks like a cooking appliance from the bowels of Hell!" _Cathy announced as her cameraman turned to film the freakish device. _"Just what could this bizarre card do?"_

"Don't gotta wait," Toppa told her. "I'll use its effect right now. Once per turn, I can add a 'Heatza' monster to my hand. And I got the perfect one in mind, yo." He fanned out his deck again, then selected a card and reshuffled. "But first, I tribute both my Toppas to bring out an old classic! Come on out, Infernal Flame Emperor!"

Fire exploded underneath his two monsters, swallowing them before they even had time to scream. The pillars roared with something that wasn't fire, twining together to become a gigantic centaur beast of raw fire. Even the white of its eyes was nothing but blazing anger and hot rage. It bellowed again as it ripped a flaming sword out of its own body. (2700/1600)

"I ain't the only one spittin' fire, yo," Toppa laughed. "Because when I summon this homey, I can banish any number of Fire monsters from my graveyard to destroy Spell and Trap cards on the field! So I'll banish two to take out your set card, and mine!"

The Emperor raised both hands high, conjuring a fireball in each and hurling them onto opposite ends of the field. Kaede's card exploded into pixels on contact, but Toppa's own lifted up first, briefly displaying an image of a snow-topped mountain before it was destroyed, too.

"And my card was my Dormant Volcano, yo," Toppa reported. "When it goes, it goes out straight explodin', takin' you for 300 damage!"

A wave of heat flew over Kaede, but she didn't budge. (KLP: 8000-7700)

"But enough o' the openin' act," Toppa said, leering at his opponent. "Time for the main event! With my Heatza Oven active, I shuffle five o' my banished Toppas into my deck, yo, to bring out a family-sized big boi! Come on out, Stuffed Crust Heatza!"

The crowd watched in confusion as Toppa shuffled his five pocketed cards back into his deck, then slapped down a card. The Heatza Oven's slot flew open and the scent of woodfire filled the field. With a whoosh, a massive disc shot out of the oven, hovering over the field like a flying saucer. It was, quite possibly, the weirdest monster that the crowd had ever seen. A massive pizza with red eyes lining its bulging crust stayed suspended in the air next to the Infernal Flame Emperor. Thick, gooey cheese covered the top, but slices of anchovy, onion, and especially mushroom could be seen all over it. The freakish thing peeled back its center slightly, revealing a lamprey-like mouth lined with thin but very sharp teeth. (4000/4000)

Yoshito felt his eye twitch happen again. "This game is so very weird…"

"Didn't think the guy was a foodie." Crypt rubbed his chin as he studied the monster.

"You forget his Christmas Album a couple of years ago." Blackwood noted. "He was running Madolches then."

"Ah, right."

Yoshito ignored them, knowing his comments were going to have no effect. Instead, he flicked a gaze to Kaede. She was still watching, her face having no reaction save for a small smirk. _Don't tell me she's excited to fight that...that...thing!_

"Stuffed Crust Heatza, drop her monster like the beat!" Toppa cried. "Topping Terror!"

The Heatza let out an odd rumble as it spun faster, launching itself at Kaede's set monster. The card flipped up, revealing a little, pale-skinned child in regal clothing and wielding a scepter. He cackled even as the Heatza split him in two, the wicked laugh lingering as his pieces faded away.

"That was Terrifying Toddler of Torment, and flipping him up with that attack was the start of your torment." Kaede reached for her deck. "Now I send one Fiend monster from my deck to the graveyard. And since that monster is Fiendish Rhino, I can send one more."

She held up the second card, her smirk growing. "It's Archfiend Heiress and her trip to the graveyard means I inherit one Archfiend card from my deck!"

"Rearrangin' your hand this much, yo?" Toppa commented, crossing his arms. "Me and you got more in common than I thought. How 'bout after this me an' you grab a slice?"

"No thanks, I'm a sushi girl." Kaede didn't bat an eye. "Now are you going to duel or blow more hot air?"

"Oh, I'm bringin' it, babe!" Toppa shot back. "Extra hot! See, when my Heatza destroys a monster in battle, yo, he be activatin' his effects, and he got different ones dependin' on which Toppas I shuffled to summon him! Since I shuffled Anchovy Toppa, he takes you for 600 damage, yo!"

Kaede glared as a nostril-burning stench wafted across the field. (KLP: 7700-7100)

"And even better, all three Mushroom Toppas let me banish a Toppa from my deck, then deal 600 more, yo!" He fanned out his deck and pocketed three more cards, then shuffled. Kaede simply stared back as her life points dropped. (KLP: 7100-5300)

"And I ain't even finished, yo!" Toppa declared. "Infernal Flame Emperor, Hellfire Inferno!"

The Infernal Flame Emperor raised its hands and opened its mouth wide, sending out three simultaneous streams of flame that roasted Kaede. (KLP: 5300-2600)

"_This duel's cookin' and Toppa's bringing the heat!" _Cathy said. _"But Kaede's reactions are ice cold! Looks like his flavors aren't to her taste!" _

"Ain't nuthin' gon' stop me," Toppa boasted, staring down his opponent. "But you can try, because I'm turnin' it over to you."

"Draw." Kaede snapped up her card and her smirk turned a bit feral. "From my hand, I activate the continuous spell card Archfiend's Hall - Avernus!" Braziers sprang up on either side of her, billowing out black and red flames while streaming out dark wisps of smoke. "When this card is on the field and I have no monsters, I can summon a fiend from my hand! Come out, Archfiend Giant!"

The smoke billowed out in front of her, peeling away to reveal a looming demon in thick bone plate and letting out a groaning rumble as it lumbered forwards. (2400/1600)

"Then I summon the monster Big Eater!" Compared to Giant, her new monster was the exact opposite. Short and on stubby legs, it was nothing but a cackling mouth and fancy headdress. (800/0)

Kaede snapped out one hand, flamings spilling out from behind her dramatically. "This monster is a Tuner! So now I tune it and my Archfiend Giant together!"

The flames erupted wildly, consuming both Giant and Big Eater like they were alive and very hungry. They grew larger and more solid, scorching the stonework and lashing out like wings to sear the marble columns. A massive, rumbling roar began to build. "_The roar of flames, the biting heat of the inferno gather together to boil the devil's blood! Ignite the world in the hellstorm of battle! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!" _ (3000/2000)

The heat roiled off the flames in waves like a mirage as they cooled, a dangerous hiss searing across the room as they became armored scales and gleaming red armor. Claws, wings and fangs gleamed in a mirror finish, polished by the heat.

_That's just like...that dragon from before! _Yoshito took a step back, an image of Hundred-Eyes flashing in his mind. He couldn't help but grin in expectation as it lumbered into place behind Kaede. He heard Bleeding Edge technology was leagues behind anything out in the market, but this was something else. _It looks like it's real!_

His grin froze as he caught sight of Kaede. Reflected in her eyes was the same raw, hungry heat that her dragon possesed. Then he blinked and it was gone. _A trick of the firelight…? _

"Yo' dragon's got some sauce," Toppa sneered. "But do he got the crust to back it up?"

"He's going to send your monsters right down to hell! I equip Hot Red Dragon Archfiend with Blood of the Archfiends!" Hot Red roared as cracks split its body, blood oozing free. Then the blood ignited in waves of scarlet flames to wreath her monster in hellfire. "And now I use Hot Red's effect! All other monsters in attack mode are destroyed! _Crimson Tide!" _

Hot Red gathered flames in both hands and clasped them together above its head. With another mighty roar, it slammed its conjoined claws down and the ground exploded as a wave of screaming fire ripped its way towards Toppa's field like a shark. The two monsters braced themselves, but Stuffed Crust was burnt into ashes from the heat and Flame Emperor was swallowed by the inferno as the flames of its body were ripped to pieces.

"You burnt up my Heatza, yo!" Toppa objected. "That's, like, practically a capital crime!"

"Now for the fun part!" Kaede's smirk bared her teeth. "Blood of the Archfiends has its own effect! When an Archfiend effect destroys a monster, my monster gains six hundred for each one!" The bleeding flames from Hot Red flared larger and the dragon growled in satisfaction. (3000-4200) "Hot Red Dragon Archfiend! Attack Toppa directly! _Hell Eruption!_"

Her dragon flapped its wings, scattering embers as it unleashed a torrent of red-hot flames from its maw right at Toppa. The Pro threw up his arms to shield himself, hoodie and chains flapping wildly. Then the attack intensified and he lost his footing, flying backwards with a yell of pain. (TLP: 8000-3800)

"_That monster-! The Devil Dragon lives up to her name! The fires of hell ate up even a monster of living flames! And it sent Toppa flying in one attack, along with more than half his life points!" _Cathy stared in rapt attention as the flames died away, leaving acrid wisps of smoke curling up across the playing field. _"She made his high-end Heatza monster look like a dollar menu box of chicken nuggets!" _

"C'mon, Toppa, don't tell me that one attack was all it took?" Kaede grabbed a card from her hand, green eyes sharp as emeralds as they reflected the flames of her monster. "I set this! End turn!"

Yoshito was only vaguely aware of Toppa getting back to his feet. Maybe it was a trick of his imagination, but Kaede's voice had changed. It was...deeper. Rougher. Icier. _I heard Eliminators are gimmick duelists...so is this her act?_

"Then I'm up again, yo!" Toppa sneered, seizing another card. "And since it's my first turn since my Dormant Volcano was trashed, both of us get to add a Fire monster to our hands! I'll grab Anchovy Toppa, yo!"

"And I'll take Infernalqueen Archfiend," Kaede announced, her tone icy.

"Whatevs," Toppa shot back. "I also be activatin' my Heatza Oven again, addin' Rising Crust Heatza to my hand!"

"Rising Crust?" Yoshito moaned. "You mean there are more of those things?"

"Big time," Toppa confirmed with a smile. "Next, I activate Heatza Sauce- Pesto, banishin' one Marinara from my graveyard to grab two more Heatza Sauces from my deck, yo!"

Toppa slammed another card into his disk, and a wave of chunky, oily green sauce splashed across the field, then drained away. Toppa pocketed a card from his graveyard, then opened his deck yet again and chose two more cards, then shuffled and replaced it.

"Catch is, I can't use 'em. But that's NBD, yo, because I'm activatin' Hand Destruction!"

He played the card, and a small creature materialized. It was a little man in silver samurai armor with a long sword and an enormous orange head with no mouth. It stood before Toppa, holding out its blade. "Now we both gotta discard two cards," Toppa reported, placing the two cards on the sword. The little samurai leapt over to Kaede, and she wordlessly chose two cards of her own. "But it's cool, yo, because we both draw two as well."

Kaede drew, her eyes flicking to the cards and then back to Toppa, her smirk growing slightly. "You think one of your pizzas is gonna survive the heat of my hellfire?"

"Whaddya think _baked _my Heatzas, yo?" Toppa demanded.

"Whatever," Kaede told him. "Since I discarded another Fiendish Rhino, I can send another Heiress to my graveyard, too. You know what that means." She discarded one card from her deck, and then added another to her hand.

"Won't matter," Toppa bragged. "Now, I shuffle my three banished Toppas back into my deck to summon Rising Crust Heatza to the field!"

The oven spat out another giant pizza, though this one wasn't quite so big. It was still massive, of course, but only about three-quarters the size of the last one. The crust was puffier than the last one, but not as deep. It was still lined with demonic red eyes, though. The top, along with globs of gooey mozzarella, was decorated with pepperonis and a double helping of mushrooms. (3000/3000)

"And since I shuffled Pepperoni Toppa to summon it, my Rising Crust Heatza gets a little extra spice! Fire it up, yo!"

The Heatza spun proudly as small flames erupted beneath it. True to Toppa's word, its attack score rose. (3000-3600)

"But I ain't stoppin' there! I activate Dipping Sauce, cranking up my Heatza's attack even more for every Heatza Sauce in my graveyard!"

The Heatza spun even faster, and red, green, and white sauces streaked its crust between the eyes. (3600-4800)

"Show her dragon some real fire, yo! Toppa whirlwind!"

With a malevolent groan, the Heatza flew at Kaede's dragon, prepared to slice its way through. Hot Red snarled and caught the whirling monster, sparks flying as its claws ground against the monster's crust.

"You can't destroy my dragon like that! The archfiends' blood is stronger than what your monster can dish out!" Kaede jabbed a finger at her Archfiend's Hall card and it exploded into pixels. "By destroying an Archfiend card I control, Blood of the Archfiends negates my monster's destruction!"

The bleeding flames on Hot Red spread again and its eyes flared as it opened its mouth, a stream of fire washing over the Heatza. The two monsters strained against each other for a long moment, then the Synchro shoved Rising Crust away and sent it flying back to Toppa's field like with a crack of its tail. "And now my monster powers up even further!" (4200-4800) (KLP: 2600-2000)

Toppa stared as his monster crashed back to his field, expression dizzy and burnt. Then he threw back his head with a laugh. "That was off the chain! Knew you that spark you had was red hot! I set this card and call it a turn!"

"He's...happy…" Yoshito frowned at the Pro. "But his monster lost and she can use that effect again!"

"Heh.. He's happy because his monster lost." Crypt said, amused at Yoshito's reaction. "She's a strong opponent. Any duelist worth their salt would be excited to duel against that."

"My move!" Kaede drew and slapped down a monster. With a cackle, a bone demon dressed in regal finery appeared in front of her, crouching defensively and wielding a staff with a dial on it. "Since you gave me Infernalqueen Archfiend, why don't I summon her to say hello? Oh and to power up all my Archfiends by one thousand!"

"Say what? That hag can give your monsters a grand for free?!" Toppa stared as Hot Red Dragon's flames grew away, lashing out from the monster's wounds like they were alive. (4600-5600)

"Why are you looking at her - my dragon is where it's at, Toppa! _Crimson Tide_!" Hot Red slammed down both fists again and the marble flooring of the room exploded skywards as a torrent of flame ripped for his monster. "Your monster's about to become nothing but ash!"

"Only smoke show around here is me, babe," Toppa laughed. His hand flew to his disk, and his set card sprung up, displaying the image of a Heatza emerging from the oven. "I activate Stone-Baked! Now if a Heatza would be destroyed, I can just banish a Heatza Sauce from my graveyard to protect it!"

A card shot out of Toppa's graveyard, and he caught it and stowed it away. At the same time, his Heatza monster spun wildly, scattering the flames away from it in a flurry of sparks and pizza sauce.

"If that's true - then your monster's attack points should have gone down!" Kaede's expressioned tightened as Rising Crust just sneered. "Don't tell me -!"

Toppa replied by laughing hysterically. "I play to win, yo!" he jeered. "Dipping Sauce is a one-time permanent powerup based on the number of Heatza Sauces when I activated it!"

"That power isn't helping your monster right now! Not against my Hot Red Dragon! Attack!" Kaede's eyes flashed as she snapped out her fist. Hot Red was already gathering fire in its mouth. _"Hell Eruption!" _

"Don't be hatin' on my dough, yo!" Toppa grabbed another Heatza Sauce as it ejected from his disk and held it up. "Stone-Baked doesn't leave the field, either and that means Rising Crust is here for lunch and dinner!" (TLP: 3800-2800)

_"Looks like this is shaping up to be a brawl instead of a duel! These two titans are trading blows like it's the third round already!"_ Cathy shielded her face with one arm as she spoke, Rising Crust's spinning deflecting Hot Red's attack as easily as it had its effect. _"This duel feels like it's about to boil over!" _

"Heh, fine. You want to keep your day-old pizza around, fine by me." Kaede folded her arms, coat billowing as Hot Red roared in agreement. "We love a good punching bag!"

TTTTTTT

"Is that really her?" Jackie was staring at the screen in confusion, chin propped in her hand. "Girl was all politeness and smiles earlier…"

"It's something to do with that dragon she summoned. It shares a naming pattern with yours and it looks very much alive." Sumire said from over her shoulder. Her eyes flicked over to Lero. "Something tells me my husband knows more than he is saying."

"I do and I don't, but until you're one hundred percent family, Sumire, I can't tell you." Lero's sheepish expression didn't match his words as she glowered at him. "But you are right about that dragon. When she duels and summons her dragon, Kaede gets fired up herself."

"She just threatened to use that rapping rip-off as a punching bag." Jackie commented. "That's not 'fired up'."

"Okay, she gets fired up by hell fire…" Lero said. "Look, it's hard to explain and I don't get it fully, either. Kaede's the only one who does, but she doesn't like to talk about it."

"Well, she's showing it all over the place-" Jackie said with a nod at the screen. "Yoshito's looking worried and Toppa's grinning like a lunatic." She scowled as Toppa laughed at something and rattled off a verse. "I think there has to be a law against being that happy…"

TTTTTT

"ZZ Toppa's comin' in hot, yo!" Toppa bragged as he snatched another card from his disk. He stared at the new card and grinned, then selected another. "Yo, that look on your face'll finally make sense when I summon _this_! Go, Anchovy Toppa!"

He slapped down the card, and another bizarre monster materialized next to his Heatza. It was a broad-shouldered young man with the face of a bug-eyed fish. This one was in very baggy sweatpants and a denim jacket. Even though he was a fish, he had a head full of slick black hair styled into a pompadour. (1700/900)

"And when he's summoned, I can banish a Toppa from my deck to crank up the attack of a Toppa or Heatza monster on my field by another 600! Give 'em some aroma, Anchovy!"

The fish-headed delinquent exhaled a breath of pure fishy disgust directly in Kaede's face as Toppa pocketed yet another card from his deck. Rising Crust Heatza swooped down over the fishman and absorbed some of the fumes, letting out a purr as it did. (4800-5400)

"But I ain't stoppin' there, yo!" Toppa announced, slamming yet another card into his disk. "A gangsta's always packin' some extra heat, and here's mine! Burning Soul Sword!"

A gleaming orange blade materialized beneath the spinning Heatza, pointing directly upward. It was an odd craft, with spikes and blades pointed both at and away from the hilt, and there was a glowing red eye at the base.

"Not the usual kinda bling I go for, but this one was too good to pass up, yo! See, each turn this sword lets me sacrifice a monster to give its attack score to my Heatza. So sayonara, Anchovy!"

The Burning Soul Sword glowed, and Anchovy Toppa was consumed by flames. The sword shot a beam directly upward, and Rising Crust Heatza spun in excitement. (5400-7100)

"_This is extraordinary!" _Cathy commented. _"Toppa's Heatza has more than doubled its original score! In fact, this may be the highest that this tournament has seen so far!"_

"And it's all aimed at that dragon, yo! Toppa tornado!"

With a roar, the colossal pizza threw itself at the Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, spraying tri-colored sauces in every direction. Sparks flew as the two monsters collided again and Kaede grit her teeth as the backlash shoved her back a few steps. "This is nowhere near enough! I activate the effect of Blood of the Archfiends!"

Hot Red reached down with one claw, snaring up Infernalqueen and shattering her with a flex of those claws. Its bleeding flames redoubled and it snarled with new power, shoving the Heatza monster back across the playing field. (5800-4800-5400) (KLP: 2000-700)

"Dang, girl!" Toppa laughed. "You cling to that thing tighter than Kanye clings to someone else's award! But you can't keep it alive forever, yo! I'll throw down these and end my turn!"

He placed two more cards in his disk, and two set cards appeared, one on each side of the Burning Soul Sword.

"I draw!" Kaede ripped her card free, uncaring about the fact she stand amidst the roaring the flames generated by her monster. "Pot of Avarice! I shuffle my two Heiress, two Rhino and Toddler back into my deck to draw two cards!"

A laughing jar appeared in front of her, but it quickly stopped laughing as her dragon's flames melted into a puddle. She shuffled her deck and snapped up two more cards. "Foolish Burial activates! I send one monster from my deck to the graveyard! So once again, Rhino followed by Heiress!"

The two cards dropped into her graveyard and she caught the card her deck spat out. "Now I activate the card I got from Heiress! Archfiend's Revival! Be reborn, Archfiend Giant!"

Lumbering footsteps shook the ground as the giant lumbered out of the flames, trailing wisps of smoke and unbothered by the fact his armor was melting around him like a candle. "Now go Hot Red! _Crimson Tide!" _

The dragon slammed both claws into the ground and it erupted in a fresh wave of screaming flames. Toppa watched it approach, his graveyard already spitting out his card. "Your dragon's flames can't even scorch my monster's Stone-Baked crust! I banish Heatza Sauce- Marinara to save it!"

"My Giant wasn't so lucky- " Kaede smiled darkly as her giant melted completely, collapsing in on himself like he was plastic instead of metal and bone. "But that just activates Revival's second ability! When the monster it revived is destroyed by an Archfiend's effect, one other Archfiend gains its attack score! So Hot Red becomes blazing!"

True to her words, the leaking blood-flames of her dragon soaked the Synchro everywhere and as it roared in pain, it all ignited yet again. The hellfire coated Hot Red like a second skin, searing the air and leaving only the dragon's gleaming fangs and sharp yellow eyes visible. (5400-7800-8400)

"Battle! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Rising Crust!" Kaede's roared right alongside her dragons, her eyes reflecting nothing but the flames around it. _"Helltide Eruption!" _

Hot Red lumbered forwards, spewing out a torrent of flames so hot and raging that it might as well have been magma. Rising Crust went sailing back from the hit, carving a trench across the ground and nearly knocking Toppa over as it careened into the wall and scattered Yoshito's group. (TLP: 2800-1500)

For a moment, all was still. Then, finally, Toppa began to laugh. It was a deep guffaw, straight from the belly as he rose to his feet, his Heatza hovering by his side. "Yo, that was one heck of a shot!" he chuckled. "But it ain't over yet. Lucky for me I had one more Heatza Sauce in my graveyard. I banished Alfredo to save my Heatza from endin' up as charcoal! Downside, now that there are no Heatza Sauces in my graveyard, my Stone-Baked is destroyed."

True to Toppa's word, his trap shattered.

"We'll burn you to a crisp next turn!" Kaede swept two cards into her disk, her grin almost malevolent in the flames of her monster. "I set two cards! End of turn!"

Toppa glared as he seized his start-of-turn draw, but his eyes flashed as he saw what it was, and he jumped for joy, his medallions bouncing. "Aw, yeah!" he cheered. "It's over, yo! I activate Fire Back! I discard one card to retrieve a Fire monster from my graveyard! And I'll summon it, too! Welcome back, Anchovy Toppa!"

With a wave of fishy odor, the punk fish-man reappeared. (1700/900)

"You remember what he does, right?" Toppa snickered as he pocketed another card. The Anchovy spat out more of his rancid breath, and the Rising Crust Heatza reveled in the stench, spinning with joy. (7100-7700)

"Not enough!" Kaede pointed out, but Toppa just kept laughing.

"My Burning Soul Sword can be used every turn, yo!" he bragged. "And that's just what's happenin'! Rising Crust Heatza, show this hellcat some _real_ power!"

The demonic sword let out its intense glow once more, and Anchovy Toppa vanished again as the Heatza grew ever stronger. (7700-9400)

"_Can you believe it, folks?" _Cathy cried as the Heatza spun ever faster. _"Toppa has more than tripled his monster's original attack score, and nearly broken ten thousand!"_

"Heh," Crypt chuckled, turning to Yoshito. "And you were worried."

"Now's finally the time to pop a cap in that dragon's ass! Toppa tornado!"

The Heatza let out a roar that shook the island as it launched itself at the Hot Red Dragon Archfiend. The Synchro watched it come and back a claw, clenching it in a flaming fist. They collided in an explosion of flames and sparks. The entrance room shook, the Bleeding Edge system causing the marble floor to rupture and columns to blow apart.

"We're not backing down! Go Red Soul!" Kaede's set card flipped up as her monster's flames doubled, then tripled in size to the point she was wreathed in them just like Hot Red was. She shoved Night Assailant and Darkbishop Archfiend from her hand into her graveyard slot. "I discard two monsters, reduce the damage by the combined attack and Hot Red cannot die this turn!" (KLP: 700-200)

"And what, you think I'll just let you destroy my Heatza next turn?" Toppa laughed. "No way! This duel's already won, yo! I activate my trap card, Backdraft!"

One of Toppa's set cards lifted, revealing a trap with the image of a man caught in a barrage of flames.

"Since a Fire monster o' mine dealt battle damage, I can nail you for damage equal to its attack score! Shoulda just took the damage!"

The Heatza, now laughing maniacally, lifted itself perpendicular to the floor, still spinning wildly as waves of flame washed out of Toppa's trap. A whirlwind of fire, propelled by the Heatza, made its way toward Kaede. The torrent crashed into her, a vortex of raw flames that hid her from view.

"_That's insane! I don't know how real the Bleeding Edge system is, but that damage - it's absurd! It's impossible! It's over nine thousand!" _Cathy had to yell to be heard over the flames. "_That's more life points than she started with! There's no way - wait! There! In the flames!" _

Yoshito's eyes went as he saw what Cathy was seeing - a silhouetted figure in the torrent of flames, sneering out at the raging inferno and Hot Red Dragon Archfiend's body glowing a murderous shade of orange and red. _That look in her eyes - she looks like a demon! _

The flames began to dance and writhe, being pulled into Hot Red as Kaede's laugh began to rise over their roar. "I activate the counter trap - Crimson Fire! Because I have my Red Dragon Archfiend, the damage to me is negated and then-" The flames vanished entirely, revealing her glowing Synchro Monster, brimstone pouring off it like steam and a low rumble from its throat. "You take twice that amount as damage!"

Violent red light exploded out of Hot Red, twisting into a flaming version of the dragon itself. With a roar that sounded all too real, it took flight and shot towards Toppa.

"_Eighteen thousand eight hundred damage!?" _Cathy's eyes bugged out and she dove behind Blackwood, her drones scurrying away like ants from a kicked anthill. _"Hit the deck!" _

"You think I'm afraid of a little fire, yo?" ZZ Toppa screamed as the inferno approached. "I _am _the fire! And I'll prove it! My final card! Extra Cheese!"

Toppa's other set card lifted, displaying the image of a furious Stuffed Crust Heatza dripping with mozzarella.

"With a Heatza frontlinin' my field, this lets me negate and destroy one o' yo' traps, yo!" Toppa bragged. "So yo' Crimson Fire's out like disco!"

The Rising Crust Heatza spun ever faster, now just a multicolored blur in midair. White globs of cheese shot out of it, raining down on Kaede's Crimson Fire trap, smothering its flames before exploding, taking the card with them. Once more, the maelstrom of fire changed course, finally raining down on Kaede. The fires came crashing down around her, Hot Red cracking like glass as the heat overwhelmed it. For a long moment, it looked like Kaede looked like she'd just endure the blazing flames. Then her Synchro blew, an eruption of power that scattered the flames and sent her hurling backwards in a heap against the entrance hall steps with smoke and ash trailing behind her. (KLP: 0)

"Boo-yah!" Toppa cried, fist-pumping the air as the holograms faded. "Tha's what I'm talkin' 'bout! Big win for Ironwrought! Go Toppa! Go Toppa!"

"That was somehow both the most intense and most _ridiculous _duel I have ever seen," Crypt sighed, shaking his head.

"Ain't no time ta playa-hate!" Toppa jeered. "More'n you got, sucka!"

"Stop talking like that!" Yoshito snarled. "You're white!"

TTTTTT

_This is unfortunate. _Verthy knew the thought was underselling what she had just seen play across the screen, but at the same time, there wasn't any other way to describe it. Two losses in a row for Lero's side and it was from the two genuine professional duelists amongst them. _Jackie's victory was resounding, but they were underestimating us. Yoshito's team played far more seriously in the two following duels. _

She finished adjusting the ruffles on her blouse and glanced down at the deck sitting on the counter next to her. Despite having received it only less than a week ago, she knew what all of the cards did by heart. Her mentor had beaten them all into her through their training sessions. But that didn't make her feel any better. Knowing them all was one thing, using them as her own deck was another.

And this deck was more than just a stack of cards. It was a deck that could alter fate itself - or so her mentor claimed. It was a murky power, unstable and difficult to apply at best and dangerous to everyone at worst. Even her Rune Eye was more reliable.

For a given value of reliability. She studied the Norse rune sitting over her right eye, so faint it might have been a trick of the light. _If I could use its power, I could see into the future of the tournament and fix whatever went wrong. Better still, I could have prevented this whole mess from happening._

But that was an idle wish. Her Rune Eye had never ever activated at her will and the futures that it showed her lacked so much context half of the time that she never realized they were coming to pass until they had. Better to rely on her skills as a duelist.

Picking up her deck and placing it in the Bleeding Edge Disk Sumire had provided, she took a moment to marvel at how light the device was. _The most advanced holographic system in the world and it weighs like it is nothing. _

Different visions danced in her head of the immense profit SchroederCorp could get from the technology and the countless applications it could have - surgeons could perform operations from a distance, construction crews could create temporary housing, emergency services would have an incredible multi-tool to aid their work. The list went on and on. _I know Lero and Sumire have had their hands tied, but Duelist Kingdom does have its own laws...as a wife I could have free access to this technology and I don't think Sumire would mind some 'friendly' competition. _

The vision she had shared with Rosemary flashed in front of her mind's eyes and brought a smile to her lips. Though it quickly set in a thin line of determination. _All that can wait. The problem in front of us has to be dealt with._

That thought in mind, she stepped out of the bedroom and into Rosemary's little foyer."Rosie - you and I are the only ones left, do you want that I should take the next one or-" Verthy paused in the doorway.

"_London Bridge is falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady." _Rosemary was sitting cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed. "_Build it up with silver and gold, silver and gold, silver and gold. Build it up with silver and gold, my fair lady."_

The children's song was familiar to the German woman, but she had never heard it sung in such a minor key before. Rosemary's version was low and cold and creepy enough it sent a chill down her spine. _That song sounds less like a rhyme and more like bleak prophecy. _

"_Silver and gold will be stolen away, stolen away, stolen away. Silver and gold will be stolen away, my fair lady." _Rosemary stopped as she opened her eyes. They were calm and more focused than Verthy had expected out of her friend. "Sorry. I was just clearing my head before the next round."

"It's a very interesting way you have to do that." Verthy said with as much tact as she could find. "Does this mean you are taking the next one?"

"Yes." Rosemary slid off the bed and reached for her Duel Disk. "It is like you said. Last night, Lero protected me. Now I am going to protect him."

"Yes, but…" Verthy hesitated, then continued. "We are behind in duels. If you lose, Yoshito wins the tournament. Are you sure you do not want the last slot? At least then-"

"I am going to duel, Verthy. And I am going to win." Rosemary said in steely tones. "That's why I came here."

There was a knock at the door and then it opened to allow Plato to poke his head in. "Whoever is next, please come with me. We are going to put you in the main hall."

"That would be Rosie, then." Verthy informed him. "What shall I do?"

"If it comes to it, your duel will happen in the throne room. Lero will make his appearance there and make a show of it. Try and defuse some of building tension and answer Yoshtio's arguments."

Verthy frowned at him. "Lero is still under bedrest and not himself. Putting him under the public eye sounds most unwise."

"It is." Plato's frown matched Verthy's. "But we have no options and the world is watching. We must do something or even if we win the tournament, Bellerophon's going to come out of this worse than ever."

That was putting it mildly - if Lero's reputation tanked, the Board could wrest control of I2 from him even if Yoshito lost. And if they didn't, the public outcry could potentially destroy I2 as well. Perhaps even Duel Monsters itself.

Verthy watched Rosemary leave, racking her brain. There was something about this she was forgetting and it felt familiar. An image danced briefly in her mind - a throne, someone being addressed as 'Pegasus' and camera drones. One of her little visions of the future, but what good did that do? _Everyone calls Maximillion 'Pegasus' and Lero as well…_

Then it clicked and she caught Plato's sleeve before he could leave as well. "Is everyone else in Lero's room?" At the manservant's nod, she allowed herself to smile. "Good. When you pick out clothes for this appearance, make sure they have ruffles. I have a plan."

TTTTTT

The world was too small.

Lero could hear things - Sumire saying something, Jackie hollering his name. But they were distant, muffled by how confining his blankets were and the walls were closing in. His clothes were hot chains that corded tight around his chest and made every breath a herculean labor. He was going to drown. Or suffocate. Or just explode from how strain every breath was.

The world was too small.

Two losses. Two. One way from three, which would mean he lost everything. His game, his company, his home. The Board would sideline him and everything his father had ever built would be dismantled, parlored off to the highest bidder and Yoshito would dance on his father's grave.

The world was too small.

Sumire would be shackled to that man, her life nothing more than his trophy and being nothing but Seto Kaiba's daughter. Jessie and Kaede, too. They were the best duelists he'd had and they'd lost. They'd lost trying to help him and now their careers were over. If their agents didn't drop them, the Internet would tear them shreds.

Oh gods, he hadn't even thought about the public's reaction and there were over two billion people watching this, one fourth of the world's population. And the rest were going to find out soon enough.

The world was too small.

Lero had to get out.

Out.

Out somewhere that wasn't so cofining or threatening or suffocating him.

There had to be out.

Out where the world didn't hate him and his father wouldn't be disappointed in him. If he could just shove through the panic, the thick cotton air, the walls of the castle - _something _had to give and then he'd drift in the void, alone and safe and what he deserved -

A wet, rough tongue dragged itself over his face. A cold slap that yanked him back to himself. Legs drawn up to his chest, fingers squeezing so hard it was a toss-up whether his fingers or his knees hurt more. Shallow breaths. Warm fur and living body pressing herself against him, the thump-thump-thump of a wagging tail against the floor. Artemis.

Therapy dog to the rescue.

Lero buried his forehead against his hands, trying to focus on the looping design of the carpeting. Tracing it in his mind's eye. It was simple hooked loops arranged like a kaleidoscope. Every square foot idententical to all the ones around it. Perfect. Neat. In control.

In control.

_But I was never in control. _There were few things more hurtful than one's inner voice deriding you with the truth. _Not since Dad went into his coma. They said I was, they told the world I was, but I'm not. I'm not even lucky enough to be a puppet. Just a prop while they work the magic behind the curtain. The Board and Yoshito and everyone else._

He didn't even have the courage to show his face to the world for this whole 'Bride Tournament'. Three duels down and all he'd done was throw his ex girlfriends out one after another. _And I show my face now, it's just too little, too late. Just another thing that will just fall short. Because I couldn't think a step ahead, because I got outplayed and all I could do was run and hide and-_

Artemis whined at him, her nose shoving its way under his chin and Lero hooked one arm over her neck, realizing that he'd started breathing so hard he was almost hyperventilating. Artemis shoved more of her fluffy bulk forwards, forcing him to put his legs down so she could rest on them. Probably so he couldn't get up and run again.

Dog was clever like that.

"Next time you pull a runner like that, I'm getting my damn bike!"

Lero lifted his head, staring in surprise at Jackie's form in front of him. He hadn't even heard her approach. "You followed me?"

"No. You tore out of the bedroom so fast it was like you were on fire. I followed your dog." Jackie held out her hands, revealing a pair of shoes and a damp shirt. "And the trail of clothing."

"Oh." That would explain why Artemis' fur was especially cozy and warm right now. "Sorry."

"I didn't ask for an apology, Sky Horse." Jackie plopped herself down next to him, dropping his things in a little pile. "Where are we, anyway? I don't recognize this part of the castle."

Lero looked up from stroking Artemis' fur. The hallway had nothing stand out about it and he hadn't even bothered to flip on the lights when he'd come running in here - they were only able to see because of the sunlight streaming in through the windows. "I can't say, really. After a point, they all kinda look alike."

She grunted in agreement. "Given how you ran and were saying everything was too tight, you must be damn scared now, huh?"

"More than scared." He admitted after a few minutes of stroking Artemis. "I don't know what to do, Jackie. I don't think there is anything I can do. If we lose the next duel, I lose everything. And even if we win, I may still lose out thanks to public opinion tanking Industrial Illusions and Duel Monsters." He snorted bitterly. "A choice between dying fast or dying slow."

"You are _not _dying, Sky Horse. No one is dying." Jackie said. "Losing your company is not dying."

"It may as well be! This company - hell, just Duel Monsters - is everything to Dad! To me! It _saved_ my life, Jackie! If it weren't for Duel Monsters, I'd still be a Cairo street rat, eating literal rats or minus a hand for stealing! Or left in the LuMed Orphanage as the boy no one wanted!" Lero snapped, anger chasing away some of the fatigue. "What do I do without it? What do I tell Dad when he wakes up?"

"You tell him the truth, dumbass." Jackie was unphased by his harsh look. "You aren't responsible for any of this crap. None of it. He is and the Board is and Yoshito is, but the only involvement you have in this is that you were stuck holding the bill."

"The world's not going to see it that way-"

"The world can fuck off. You know what will happen if you lose the tournament, Lero? They're going to rip you to pieces, then piss on them and burn them to ash...then a week later, they're going to be all up in Yoshito's business about him and Sumire and what the hell a weapons company is going to do with the world's biggest trading card game. You'll be old news then." Jackie said, folding her arms. "And you never gave two flips what the world thought before. It shouldn't matter now."

Lero gave her a frown. "I run a major gaming company, of course I care about what the world thinks."

"Christ on a bike, I swear you weren't this thick when we dated." Jackie rolled her eyes again and began ticking points off on her fingers. "You dated me, a biker chick going nowhere and actually did that cool thing where someone insulted me and you caught their fist with your face. You have been bending over backwards to help Sumire out of this mess when all you really had to do was get this tech from her and just leave her to Yoshito. And whatever else nice things you do. Which are a lot of what you do."

"Being nice, won't win this for me!"

"No. _We're _going to win this for you." She folded her arms. "We've got your back. We don't care what setbacks we have. Or how many fights we lose. Or what the world thinks of us. We will not let some rich, entitled _boy _take on our friend." She must have seen him flinch because she carried on, fresh meaning pushing through her voice. "Yoshito isn't scary, Sky Horse. He's a punk in a suit with an attitude and a bank account. They're a dime a dozen. We've faced down worse and so have you."

Lero lifted an eyebrow. "That time at that bar doesn't count. I was drunk and you had that top hat-" He cut off as Jackie reached up and took off her mask. There was a twitch inside him, the reflexive urge to look away from something startling and unnatural. _No matter how many times I see it..._

"This? This is scary. Because no face should look like this and it's disgusting and twisted and real." Jackie said. "I make tough-as-nails bikers barf over their rides and parents hide their kids. And you, Sky Horse?"

She leaned in close to him and Lero reflexively tried to keep his eyes on hers, but there was just so much wrongness there that they kept darting to this and that, his brain trying to grasp just how exactly any of these unique pieces made up a person's face.

"You kissed this face. You made love to this face. On a beach. In the daylight." She reached her free hand out, finger jabbing him in the chest firmly. "So why in the world are you letting that pretty boy with his fake smile and stupid hair scare you, huh?"

Lero didn't have an answer. Which, he belatedly realized, was the point. She was right. He'd overcome worse than this, worse than Yoshito. Worse than even the Board or public opinion of his family. Win or lose, he'd still be alive and as long as he was, he could do something with himself.

His hand came up to her cheek. Under his stroking thumb, it felt like layered plastic scales and knotted lumps. Corded rope rolled under his palm and he knew it was the muscles of her face twitching, but the skin over them wasn't able to move. "Thanks, Jackie."

She just leaned in, lips pressing at his for a long moment. When she pulled away, she was already raising the mask back into place. But not before he could see the dampness in her eyes. "Next time, just tell me when you're scared, idiot. I'll scare the fright away."

"And how do you know that works?"

"'Cause I did it to my reflection years ago. Sucks trying to do my hair in the mirror. Now, c'mon." Jackie pulled him up with her by the wrist. "You're soaked. We're getting you in the shower."

"That sounds-"

"It sounds however like you want it to sound, Sky Horse." Jackie nudged Artemis with her foot. "Hey. Dog. Think you can lead us back to your owner's bedroom?"

"It doesn't work like that, it requires an actual command…" Lero blinked as Artemis promptly turned and trotted down the hallway, pausing to glance back at them expectantly. "Or not."

TTTTTT

Sumire listened to the pair's footsteps recede, but didn't move from her spot around the far corner to go after them.

She wasn't upset at Jackie for finding Lero first or their flirting. She'd called these women here to help Lero and if they did that by using their bodies, then more power to them both. As much as she respected her husband, she didn't feel physical attraction for him.

But she was crossing her arms so tightly they hurt and her gaze was going to burn a hole in the stone wall.

_That was what I looked like._

The sheer terror on Lero's face, like everything else about him had been a mask and it had been ripped off to show the animal instincts humanity liked to think they were above. His flight from his bedroom had been so sudden, so stunning that she'd sat there on his bed, dumbstruck as Jackie and Artemis had given chase.

_I used to look like that._

Memories crowded about, of dark rooms and night lights and clawing at her mother's door until there were paint chips and smears of red. Sleeping naked atop sheets because the feeling of waking up with something against her skin was too much like the catacombs and turning all the lights and lamps, trying not to imagine how thick the darkness would be if they all went out.

She knew what a panic attack was.

And despite its name, she knew you couldn't fight one. There wasn't any fighting back.

_I should be able to. I should. I should be able to fight his, at least. _The other women were here to fight Lero's battles - surely she could fight this one. _But I froze. I saw all the signs I used to feel and I was too worried about my future to see them. I let him down. _

Jessie had told her, Rosemary had told her. Lero was afraid, frightened. Fighting fights like this against his Board and everyone else for two years and now, at the crux of it all, she'd been too focused on herself. Again.

_I will fix this. I will become a better wife for him. _Sumire made the vow to every god her mother had taught her, but more importantly, to herself. _I am asking so much of him, I will give just as much in return._

"Sumire-"

"What do you want?" Sumire barked before turning to look and was startled to find Verthandi jumping back, hands held up to ward off more words.

"Not to be thrown into the wall, for starters. _Gott in himmel_, you look like a caged tiger…" The German woman muttered under her breath and then spoke normally as Sumire just huffed. "I need your help. We're going to set up to beat Yoshito at his own game."

"Is it not Duel Monsters?"

"Oh, we'll beat him there, too. But we're also going to play 'public opinion' with him." Verthy smiled thinly. "And you, my dear, are the winning move."

TTTTTTT

The main hall was more modestly decorated than the entrance hall, being carpeted with one wall of big windows and the other being lined with paintings that Pegasus himself had done. Starting from the far end to the one leading to his throne room, it was a timeline of the eccentric game designer's work and life.

"The man is obsessed with cartoons." Yoshito couldn't help himself as he paused in front of a larger than life painting. It was similar to _Dogs Playing Poker, _except the dogs were replaced with Funny Bunny, the Pink Panther, Garfield the Cat, Scooby-Doo, and Bullwinkle J. Moose. The background was still a standard oil painting, but the cartoon characters had been done with realism in mind. It gave them more a humanistic - and creepy - edge.

He glanced further up the hallway; the rest of his team had spread out to take in the paintings on their own and Cathy was whispering into her microphone as her drones drifted slowly to get good shots of each one. The heir could see another Funny Bunny painting from where he was and it looked like Crypt was studying a painting of Duelist Kingdom itself.

"He's very good." The velvet voice came from behind Yoshito and he twisted in lieu of jumping. Clad in a white suit with only a red pocket handkerchief and black tie for color, it was Reginald Fisk. "My mother bought one of his charity paintings for our villa in Macau. Duel Monster reimaging of Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Aurora, I believe. They were fighting a dragon."

Yoshito snorted. "Absurd. Pegasus is an eccentric, but I am beginning to doubt the 'genius' part everyone seems to apply."

Reginald smiled and Yoshito inwardly tried not to react - like a smile that wasn't a smile. "Genius comes in many guises, but I suppose you have yet to meet any. I hope you soon do. It can be a very enlightening experience."

Yoshito offered the same not a smile in return, knowing one of Cathy's drones was particularly close. "When I have won this 'Bride Tournament' and dealt with this horrendous contract, I hope Miss Kaiba will grace me with hers."

"Ah, yes. The elusive heir to Seto Kaiba." The two men started walking down the hallway. "She must be a genius if she was able to get his Bleeding Edge technology to work. Not even his own brother could do it. Given what I've seen of it here, it will be as key to history as the invention of the wheel and sliced bread. Duel Monsters will never be the same."

"Duel Monsters will be the least of its applications." Yoshito stated as they walked, his eyes glittering with promise the technology held.

"Ah, yes. You run a weapons company. That does beg the question - what _would_ a weapons company want with Duel Monsters?" Reginald asked mildly. "Don't tell me you intend to jump ship and become a gaming corporation?"

There weren't any drones nearby now, but Yoshito took care in answering anyway. Out of all his Pros, Reginald was the most like him. His family had run a major media firm for generations now and he had actually met Reginald a few times before this. Which meant he knew the man was always playing angles, trying to advance his goals. "I do not intend to acquire Duel Monsters, though I am aware of how I2 may lose out on so much of its profits and flagship as a result of the Bride Tournament. If push comes to shove, well, I will do my part in preserving a piece of history as well as creating it."

"How noble of you." Reginald said dryly and picked up his pace, checking his Duel Disk. "I suppose I must play my part in that history as well. By defeating the enemy in front of me."

Yoshito started - he hadn't even been aware someone was waiting for them at the other end of the hallway. "Miss Bakura. How lovely to see you. You look radiant today."

"Thank you." Rosemary said smoothly. "I am your next opponent. You cannot progress into the throne room without dueling me."

"A model's duelin'?" Toppa drawled, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's just crazy, yo!"

"Toppa," Blackwood said. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'pot calling the kettle black'?"

"No, but that's a cool phrase. Gonna add it to my next hit."

"Mmm. My point exactly."

"Well, this is going to be a very interesting highlight of my career. Earning the win that secures victory in the Bride Tournament." Reginald said, offering Rosemary a smile and a sweeping bow. "And the cover model in my family's next publication."

"Flattering, but I'll have to decline that offer." Rosemary said, smiling back. "My next photos will be seen in _Duel Masters._"

"That is if Industrial Illusions is around to produce it." Yoshito said. "Supporting them right now is a dangerous career move - as Miss Kaede and Wheeler-Valentine found out."

"I'll take my chances. Just like you did, walking in here…" Rosemary said lightly, but there was something about how she said that gave Yoshito pause.

_That sounds like a veiled threat, but she's just a supermodel. She cannot threaten me anymore than a fly could threaten a lion. _He flicked his gaze over to one of the windows - something had just moved there. A ghost of an image and it had looked like a serpent. _No, I'm imagining things. _

So why did it feel like something else was in the room with them?

"_We're on round four of the Bride Tournament and Lero's Angels have called on the most beautiful of them to guard their king's throne! It's Rosemary Bakura herself! The dueling supermodel is her claim to fame, but do her skills match her looks? Or is she all flash and no substance?" _Cathy demanded of no one in particular.

"That's a rude thing to say to a woman, even if it is color commentary." Reginald chided her. "I'm sure Miss Bakura will provide quite the challenge."

"_And facing off is number six in the world - Reginald Fisk! The Playboy who's always surrounded by a bevy of beauties, whether they be his fans or his deck! I don't know what's hotter right now - his winning streak or his phone number!" _

"It doesn't matter. It can be either/or. Because…" Rosemary raised her Duel Disk, eyes hard with determination. "One way or the other, he's going down in flames."

TTTTTTTT

_Next Chapter: Rosemary duels to keep Lero's side alive in the tournament in the most ruthless duel yet as Reginald shows off great wealth, good taste and exceptional dueling skill to match! _

_VS Reginald! Swords, Sorcery and Monsters - Oh My! _

Original Cards:

_Kaede: _

Blood of the Archfiends  
Equip Spell card  
Effect: Equip only to a 'Archfiend' monster. Each time a face-up card(s) are destroyed by the effect of an 'Archfiend' card, increase the ATK of the equipped monster by 600xthe number of cards destroyed. If the equipped monster would be destroyed as a result of battle or card effect, you can destroy one face-up 'Archfiend' card you control (excluding this card) instead.

Image: Infernalqueen Archfiend bleeding fire and blood as her shadow morphs and twists into the more powerful Imprisoned Queen Archfiend while the corpse of Terrorking and Ha Des lay sprawled at her feet.

Revival of the Archfiend  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Special Summon one 'Archfiend' monster from either graveyard, ignoring its Summoning Conditions and equip it with this card. During your Standby Phase, if this card is equipped to an ARchfiend monster, pay 1000 life points. (This is not optional.) If the equipped monster is destroyed by the effect of an 'Archfiend' monster, select one 'Archfiend' monster you control and increase its ATK by the ATK of the equipped monster.

Image: Summoned Skull clawing its way free of a grave as Terrorking and Infernalqueen stand over it, arms raised and an ugly lightning storm rages overhead

_Toppa:_

Nope. Nada. Not happening. He's not showing up again. Neither are his card. Too ambitious a design, effect wording nightmare.


	12. Vs Reginadl! Swords, Sorcery and Dragons

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __Many apologies for how long this one took to come out. And many, many thanks to my darling wife, Mei1105, who put on her stern author glasses, cracked the whip and helped me wrestle this chapter into submission! Many thanks and all love, my darling!_

_Reginald Fisk is an invention of Occam's Razor and used with his permission. _

_Mei: It both amuses and concerns me husband, that you think two weeks is a long time for a chapter to come out. I have been four months without an update - you must think me the worst kind of slattern!_

_Just a little bit of terminology for those of you who a) aren't British, b) don't like sports or c) both of the above. The expression 'two all' or 'three all' or anything in that arrangement is used in football (definitely in the UK, maybe further afield) to indicate a tied score. I only include this explanation because I had to explain it to husband as I was writing it._

Chapter 12: Vs Reginald! Swords, Sorcery and Dragons, Oh My!

"Jackie - I can walk," Lero did his best not to sound like he was embarrassed and whining, but couldn't keep it all out of his voice. "Really - you can put me down."

"Nope." The American woman didn't release her bridal-style carry of him, nudging the door to his room open with her foot. Artemis led the way and then jumped onto his bed, curling up to watch her owner being carried around with a happy pant. "Can't have you running off again. Remember our third date?"

"You insulted all the mothers of every biker in that bar! What was I supposed to do!?" Lero protested.

"Back me up." Jackie did set him in a chair, but only so she could step into the bathroom. She let out a low whistle of appreciation. "This is bigger than some of the bedrooms I crash in…"

"Dad claims a large bathroom is a necessity, not a luxury."

"I'll say - you could have me, you and two of the other girls here and still have room for some fun." There was a pause and then the sounds of running water could be heard. "Hey, want me to grab that ojou chick? Bet her moans sound really good with that German accent…"

"No!" Lero was glad for his dark skin, it hid his embarrassment. "What is it with you and casual sex?!"

"Dude, I'm a biker. Everything is casual. Bikes, beers, duels, fights, sex. I lost all my inhibitions a looonnnng time ago." Jackie said and poked her head out of the door frame, grabbing his wrist. "C'mon, Sky Horse. You're already naked, so let's both get wet."

Lero made a protestant noise, but let himself be guided into the bathroom. He was still bare chested and barefoot, but the tiles were warm under his feet - another bit that his father insisted was necessity, not luxury. Jackie was shucking her straightjacket, tossing it out the door around him. Her lips lifted in a smile under her mask as she saw his eyes dip. "What's with that sneaky teenager look? You've seen a girl naked before, haven't you?"

"Not for a couple of years." Lero admitted sheepishly. "Been kind of busy since Dad's accident."

Her smile faded a bit. "You mean you haven't had sex in two years?"

"No."

"But you got off, right? I know you have porn."

"You bought it for me!" Lero defend himself, but then shrugged helplessly. "A trillion dollar company requires like two trillion hours of work." He pulled a face. "Besides, Plato keeps my schedule - how embarrassing would it be if I had to ask him for time to get myself off."

Jackie chuckled and then folded her arms. "I dunno. Your wife invited all your exes to solve your problems and gave us permission to bang you. Pretty sure she and Plato would arrange a schedule if you asked."

"Sumire's not my wife." Lero didn't add that he was frightened of her being Yoshito's wife and he remembered that Kaede and Jessie had both lost. Their duels and their careers and Yoshito would take even Duel Monsters from them if he got it.

"Whoa - hey, hey, easy. I was only teasing." Jackie took his hands in hers, stepping close. Her mask soaked in the light like the depths of space, but her brown eyes were warmer than the sun. "You're starting to hyperventilate again."

"I - oh, I'm sorry." The words were the only thing he could think to say and yet they felt so weak and pathetic. Maybe because that's what he was right now. "I'm sorry."

"No, I am. I didn't think. My mouth's smarter than I am." Jackie leaned in, kissing him softly. She stepped back, pulling him towards the shower. "You need something to do besides worry your pretty mouth into a line."

"I need to shower." Lero said lamely. "Wasting hot water."

"Then let's get in the shower." Jackie kissed him again and pulled him into the shower, her tone becoming teasing. "You have _s'mores_ scented body wash? _And _shampoo?"

"I'm allowed to be eccentric, I'm a Pegasus!" Lero defended himself.

"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it." She was already peeling off her top. "Bet I taste delicious with it, even...so….scrub my back?"

TTTTTTT

Anyone standing outside Kaede's room must have thought that the world was ending.

The walls were pounding with the heavy bass of Nightwish, and a nearby portrait painted by Pegasus himself was one good jolt from snapping off its hook and smashing to the carpet, earning Plato's displeasure and overtime for the cleaners.

But Kaede didn't care about any of that. Instead she paced to the throb of the guitar, feeling her heart thudding away in her chest to match. _I lost. I let Lero down. _

The truth of that was stark and brutal and Kaede knew she should be on the verge of tears or lashing out in anger. Her cousin probably was - Jessie wore her heart on both sleeves. But the Eliminator didn't feel either of those extremes. Just a clear, icy determination to put right what had gone wrong. _I'm going to find another way to fix this._

Dumping her Duel Disk and deck on the desk, she fired up her laptop again. _If Yoshito thinks all he needs to do is win this tournament to claim victory, he's in for a rude awakening..._No company was perfect, and she was going to expose every little secret that man had.

Something had been niggling at her ever since they'd showed up. Why had Yoshito pulled a surprise attack when he already held all the cards? Forcing the confrontation hadn't netted him much of anything, even if 'Lero's Angels' were caught flat-footed. _Everything else he's done so far - forcing the Japanese Government to leverage the contract negotiations into this tournament, going behind Lero's back in secret to deal with the Board and get the new cards and shut him out of options for Pros and publicizing the tournament in a live broadcast - all of it had a net advantage for him. He's had control from the start._

Except showing up this morning, ten days before the two week limit they'd set up initially. That move was a calculated one - calculated out of desperation. The only answer that worked was that Yoshito needed the win to get Sumire, Bleeding Edge and KaibaCorp right away. And that only made sense because someone bigger, meaner or more dangerous was pressuring Yoshito to do it. _But who has enough power and money to pressure a billion dollar weapons manufacturer who can make the Japanese Government do what he wants? And if they're that big in the first place, why do they need to go through Yoshito? They could just go straight to KC and I2. _

"Why does the universe suck so much?" Jessie's question was heralded by the blonde herself stomping into the room, Raymon trailing behind.

"Glad to see to you, too." Kaede didn't lift her eyes from the screen. "I see we've moved on from 'I'm a terrible duelist who lost!' to 'Everything pisses me off!' of your five-stage loss-grieving process."

"Everything doesn't piss me off! Just Yoshito! And this tournament! And the fact Lero's life is riding on this bullshit!" Jessie slammed herself down in the room's remaining chair while Raymon just sat on the bed. "And I lost to a conspiracy nutjob! The whole world's going to think I'm descended from aliens now!"

"At least you didn't lose to rapper man and his spinning pizzas of doom. And they've been calling my family unnatural for years," Kaede drawled. "And I don't blame them - I mean have you _seen_ my Dad's hair?"

"How can you be so calm?" flinging her hands up into the air, Jessie huffed, ignoring Raymon moving into position behind her to rub her shoulders. "You lost too! On global television!"

"Everyone loses, cousin." Sighing, Kaede began firing up browsers and her more illicit software. "Even Dad lost once or twice in his career."

"And that just magically makes it okay?" Jessie demanded. "You're not furious about it?"

"Of course I am," she felt a scowl cross her face at the way Yoshito had just stood there, glee spreading across his face as her life points had ticked down. "But I can either sit here and sulk, or I can make up for it. I'm choosing the latter." She gestured to her laptop. Jessie just shook her head.

"That's all well and good for you, hun. You're smart. You're an ace hacker, and you have this...weird understanding of the internet - trends, movements, information and all that shit - that could turn you a fortune in any industry. Dueling is all I have! I fucked up the one thing I can do!"

That tore Kaede's gaze away from her machine. Her cousin was the product of two of the most bullheaded, blustering individuals on the planet. When people pried, she scoffed. When they got close to a nerve, she got loud. Brash confidence was her armour, a facade to make the world think she was untouchable. To have her sit there and reveal such vulnerability was rare.

Her eyes flicked to Raymon for a moment, who was watching the conversation with a quiet air. He'd been dating Jessie for two years now and Kaede knew he had a good grasp on her cousin's moods and how to help her. But the look on Jessie's face said there might be more to this. Cautiously, Kaede spoke. "Are you more upset about your World Champion dreams or how this is going to affect Lero?"

"Lero! How selfish do you think I am?" Jessie demanded irritably and folded her arms. "The man's my bestie! I've known him since we were little! And now all his dreams are burning down around him and all I did was provide more fuel!"

"And Sumire?"

Jessie sighed. "Sumire's my best friend, too. Her whole life was supposed to be a big secret and she never wanted to admit to anyone who her sperm donor was. And now that's all anyone is going to see of her. Forever. Not to mention these fucked up marriage contracts! At least with Lero, I know they'd be okay together. But Yoshito…." She stared down at her lap. "I couldn't protect either of them."

"Then why are you here and not there?"

"Verthandi ran off with Sumire and Plato to do something, so at least _she _has a plan. And Lero...Jackie dragged him into the shower, I think. I heard running water, so yeah." The blonde shrugged and her fingers curled. "I don't know what to do."

Kaede looked down at her laptop again. "Start by calling your mom. See what she can do with the business side of things. I2's going to take a huge hit, win or lose and Lero needs all the help he can get. Then call your dad and make sure he's not hijacking a boat so he can come here and duel Yoshito personally."

TTTTTT

"I believe as the challenger, I will be taking the first turn." Reginald drew his card, his expression settling in a satisfied smirk. "I summon Laundry Dragonmaid in face-up defense position."

Light swirled on his field, becoming a short blue-haired woman in a maid's uniform that was a bit too large for her. Scaled, pointed ears poked out of hair and a slender, eel-like tail rippled in the air behind her. She caught sight of Yoshito and bowed to him before hopping around to face Rosemary. (500/1600)

"A Dragonmaid…" Rosemary cocked her head before folding her arms as her face settled into a scowl. "Just where did you get those cards?"

"They're a very rare set of cards, but once I heard about them, I just had to have them. The raw natural beauty of a human, the professionalism of a maid and the divine, elegant power of a dragon - all these things combine to make them the most perfect deck for me." Reginald exclaimed, smiling as Laundry began to live up to her name and pulled shirts out of the air to fold. "But how did you hear about them? They were a limited release set and didn't even get a public announcement."

"I know the man who created them."

TTTTTT

"Those are mine! Don't like things I make, you suit-wearing sellout!"

"For Gods sake, Sky Horse, what sort of person has a TV in their bathroom?!"

TTTTTT

"For the audience not in the know, I'll fill them in. Laundry, when she is summoned, mills the top three cards of my deck." Reginald pulled them off his deck and shoved them into his graveyard. "Then I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"My move!" Rosemary drew and flipped the card around. "Pot of Greed! I draw two cards!" Snapping them, she slapped one down. "Then I summon Rogue of Endymion in attack mode!"

Her new monster was more samurai than rogue given he was clad in red and gold armor and wielding a katana. "And when he's summoned, he gains one spell counter! Which I can then remove - and discard a Spellcaster - to set one continuous spell card from my deck!" (1500/200)

The Rogue drew his weapon and slashed the air behind him. It rippled and glowed, resolving into a brown-backed card. "But now that he's done his job, I'll trade him out with someone with a bit more personality and a lot more firepower! The spell card Soul Barter sends Rogue to the graveyard to revive Dark Magician Girl!" (2000/1700)

"Ah, the icon of Duel Monsters beauty herself. I - oh my." Reginald watched as the Rogue winked out, replaced by a familiar, yet unfamiliar monster. It was Dark Magician Girl, but the outfit was primarily red with gold accents, her skin dark and silver hair poking out from underneath the hat. She caught sight of him and chuckled wickedly, tapping the head of her wand in her palm. "I wasn't aware that such a famous monster came in such an exotic flavor!"

"_Looks like the name Dark Magician Girl got taken literally. A smile that cruel says this lady isn't the magician-next-door and is practicing black magic of the worst sort!" _Cathy exclaimed into her microphone. "_Do you think she's using magic to keep that hat on?"_

Rosemary pointed at Laundry Dragonmaid. "Dark Magician Girl, throw that maid out with the rest of the dirty laundry! _Dark Burning_!"

"That was a mistake." Reginald gestured to his monster, who was letting out a squeal of terror and hiding beind her hands as Dark Magician Girl began to charge up energy in her staff. "My monster may look cute, but when danger threatens their home, they become the most dangerous of opponents!"

Laundry's panicked look suddenly became a smug grin and she dropped her hands as a glow suffused her body. It grew and lengthened and scaled and suddenly there was a sinuous blue-scaled dragon with water trailing around it in front of him. Dark Magician Girl stared at it, dumbstruck, as her power stopped gathering. "At the start of the Battle Phase, I can return one of my Dragonmaids to my hand to summon out their dragon form! Say hello to Laundry's real form - Dragonmaid Nudyarl!" (2600/100)

"_Looks like Reginald loves his ladies beautiful and fierce!" _

"That transformation isn't what it looks like - I saw you had to swap the monster cards on your disk, which means Nudyarl counts as a new monster and I use the right of recall to call off my attack!" Rosemary said as her Dark Magician Girl lowered her staff and huffed at the dragon.

"Ah, but that would be simply rude! In this household, we follow our manners and that means your monsters can't refuse my maids' invitations! Reveal continuous trap card! Dragonmaid Dinner Party!" The trap flipped up and Nudyarl glowed while Dark Magician Girl growled and raised her staff again. "Now during the battle phase, if I control a Dragonmaid, I can force your monsters to attack it!"

"_Uh-oh! Dinner's being served and Dark Magician Girl is the first course, with a side order right out of Rosemary's life points!"_ Cathy watched with a grimace as Dark Magician Girl unleashed a blast of energy that slammed into Nudyarl and did nothing but leave a scorch mark on the dragon's scales.

"Oh no!" Rosemary threw up her arms to shield her face as Nudyarl counterattacked with a high-pressure jet of water that sliced Dark Magician Girl in half and tore up the hallway's tiled floor. (RMLP: 8000-7400)

Reginald smiled faintly as Nudyarl began to glow again, her body shrinking. "At the end of the battle phase, I can return my Nudyarl back to my hand and summon Laundry in defense mode again." The maid reappeared with a little giggle behind her hands and a wag in her tail. "Of course, I mill the top three cards of my deck again."

"I set one card face-down." Rosemary swept the card into her disk and it appeared in front of in a flash of light. "Then I end my turn."

"My turn begins." Reginald drew.

Off to the side, Crypt was watching the duel until he noticed Yoshito's anticipatory smile. "What's with that look? You got the dragon girl fetish, too?"

"Don't be absurd. Those kinds of things are for those who haven't the ability to please a real woman." Yoshito said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

TTTTTTT

"Don't hate on my cards!"

"Lero, I am _naked_ and touching you! Stop watching the TV!"

TTTTTTT

"I just happen to be very aware of Miss Bakura's deck." Yoshito explained. "As a dueling supermodel, her deck is a gimmick. Female Spellcasters, bewitching people with their beauty and empowering feminism and all that. Whereas Reginald's deck is practical and has a consistent theme and power. The difference between them is clear. His victory is assured."

"Funny, I recall you saying that on the plane ride over we'd just get three wins right away...and here we are on duel number four." Crypt commented dryly. "And my deck is practical and has a consistent them, yet I lost to a chick with undead rocks and machines."

Yoshito gave him a look, but didn't say anything.

"To start my move, I activate Dragonmaid Hospitality. Now I revive one Dragonmaid from my graveyard, so it's time to start your shift! Nurse Dragonmaid!" Reginald's field glowed and spat out a new dragon girl. Dressed in a pale lilac nursing uniform, her soft features were warm and comforting and Laundry let out a happy noise at the sight of her. "And of course, I don't hire anything but the best so this Nurse's bedside manner can even wake the dead! I revive Parlor Dragonmaid!" (500/1600)

Nurse clapped her hands and Laundry passed her a sheet. Nurse waved it a few times and then whipped it away like a magician to reveal a green-haired dragon girl. She was balancing a tea trap in her hands and at the sight of so many people, yelped and almost tripped over her own two feet. Silverware went flying but she managed to catch it with the tray before it could hit the floor. (500/1700)

"Very professional, my dear." Reginald, Nurse and Laundry all clapped before the duelist reached for his deck. "Parlor, when she is summoned, sends one Dragonmaid card from my deck to the graveyard." He held up a card showing an image of a large green dragon. "Her dragon form will do nicely."

He swept out his hand. "Now then ladies, let's have you earn some overtime! I enter my battle phase and return my three maids to my hand to summon Dragonmaid Nudyarl from my hand and Dragonmaids Ernus and Lorpar from my graveyard!"

The three maids all glowed, Laundry transforming into the water dragon from before while Parlor erupted into a winged green dragon with a majestic tuft of fur down her belly. Nurse became a cuddly, gentle looking dragon with wings that looked more like a large plush animal than ferocious beast. (2600/1600) (2700/1700) (2600/1600)

"You see? His monsters have more attack than her life points and he did it so easily." Yoshito gestured out to the playing field. "There's nothing to worry about."

"_Reginald may be a world-renowned flirt, but his world-renowned dueling skills are just as strong! It's only his second turn and he's swarmed the field with three powerful monsters!" _Cathy declared. "_If all these attacks hit Rosemary, it'll take more than an army of maids to clean the mess they'll make of her!" _

"I do so hate to rough up a lady, but I have a duty to fulfill my contract and win my employer this duel. Don't worry, Miss Bakura, I promise after this my company will provide you with a gracious contract. Your talents won't go to waste." Reginald lifted a hand casually, Ernus gathering up cute pink/purple flames in her mouth. Then he let it drop. "If you would, Ernus? Direct attack!"

Rosemary watched as the dragon spewed a torrent of flames at her. Thanks to the Bleeding Edge system, she could feel heat from the attack and it was causing her clothing to billow. Yet it couldn't even so much as shift the hard confidence in her eyes. "Reverse card open!"

The set card lifted and shattered, becoming a countless number of prismatic lights that swarmed in front of her. Ernus' attack collided with it violently, but instead of shattering the lights soaked up every drop of the flames. "Mirror Force reflects your attack right back at your monsters!"

"What!?" Reingald's eyes widened as the glowing lights exploded, unleashing a prismatic spray of light that pierced through his dragons like they were tissue paper. They all roared in unison and exploded into pixels with the force of their deaths enough to shove him back a few feet. "A trap card that rare-!"

"_With just one card, Rosemary's blown away his entire attack force! Looks like Reginald over committed on that one, folks!" _Cathy had taken shelter behind Blackwood from the eruption of light. _" Rosemary's proving that old adage right - float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" _

"But such stings only happen once, Cathy and I hardly felt that one! I go to my Main Phase 2 and as I haven't normal summoned for this turn, I summon Nurse Dragonmaid back in defense mode!" Reginald slapped down the card, Nurse reappearing and dusting her uniform clean of ash and debris. "And then I will use her effect to revive Kitchen Dragonmaid!"

Taller than the other maids by a good head and shoulders, Kitchen looked the most dragonic given her tail was scaled red and spiked while tines grew out of her head. She gave Rosemary a huffy look, snorting so hard flames leaked out of her mouth. (500/1700)

"When Kitchen is summoned, I can discard a Dragonmaid to search another Dragonmaid monster." Reginald discarded Parlor and grabbed a different card from his deck. "I end my turn."

Rosemary drew for her turn, her eyes scanning the card. Then her lips lifted in a perfect smile. "I activate Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and discard two."

Dropping her chosen cards into the grave, she held up her Duel Disk and the field slot popped open. "I activate the field spell card Allure Palace!"

Light spilled out from her feet in a ring, sweeping over the hall. The floors became perfect marble, the walls wood-paneled and decked in fancy decorations while a few chaneliars began to spill soft light down on the playing field as they spawned in overhead. Everything glittered with perfect cleanliness.

"It's very pretty and quite the high class locale." Reginald put a hand ons hip as he took in the sights. "Are you trying to defeat my Dragonmaids by putting them out of work? Or hiring them?"

"No. I'm just going to defeat you in this turn! Reverse card open - Allure Dance!" The set continuous spell Rosemary had put down on her previous turn lifted and a soft, romantic waltz became softly audible in the background. "Now the stage is set and the real star can descend! I summoned Allure Queen LV3 in attack mode!"

Her new monster was a woman in a black dress and red bustier. Gloved hands clutched a short staff, which she used to nudge the beret on her head up a bit further so she could give the Dragonmaids a haughty, dismissive sniff. "With Allure Palace, all Allure Queens gain five hundred attack and defense!" (500/500-1000/1000)

"_All-Allure Queens? We've seen some questionable choices in this tournament with the undead robots and flying pizza monsters, but this one may be the most questionable!" _Cathy stared at the new monster in confusion.

"Level monsters? Really?" Crypt couldn't hide his sigh of amusement as he shook his head. "I knew she had a gimmick deck, but this is really stretching it!"

"Why? What do you mean?" Yoshito demanded. "A moment ago, you were telling me about how she could defeat Reginald!"

"Level monsters can evolve and become more powerful under certain conditions. Of course, there are cards that can get around this conditions. But Allure Queen is notorious among the level monsters because her effect is mediocre, she has to survive until Rosemary's next turn to level up and if Rosemary uses another card to evolve her anyway, the evolved Queen's own effect won't be able to be used." Blackwood explained, studying the playing field. "But Allure Palace and Allure Dance...I have never heard of those cards."

"Yo, fools, just cause ya ain't heard of them doesn't mean they ain't something worth rappin' about." Toppa interjected. "Ya'll thought my 'zas were cray-cray, but they smoked a hell dragon! Don't be hatin' on things ya don't know about just cause it's the easy path!"

Crypt blinked at him. "Did you really rap or are you just talking in jargon now?"

"I'm more concerned that he somehow shortened the word pizza to 'zas' and it made sense…" Blackwood murmured.

Rosemary was grabbing another card from her hand. "I activate Level Copy! I select one LV monster on my field and then I summon their twin from my deck!" In a flash of light, an identical copy of Allure Queen appeared in front of her.

"Two monsters aren't much better than one. I-" Reginald gaped a bit as in a flash of light, a third Allure Queen appeared on his field. His two Dragomaids yelped in panic and quickly went about cleaning the ornaments of Allure Palace as the Queen watched them. "Excuse you? How rude is this!"

"When I summon an Allure Queen monster, I can summon a copy of that monster to your field thanks to Allure Palace." Rosemary said. "And your Dragonmaids have a flaw, Reginald! They can only transform if they're threatened during the Battle Phase! Which means my Queens have the perfect way to get rid of them! Go! _Royal Command!" _

Her Queens lifted their staves and pointed them at the two Dragonmaids. The staves glowed and the maids froze, staring into them like bugs being drawn to a bug zapper. Then they both winked out of sight, becoming orbs of light that flew over and settled into each Queen. "My monsters can once per turn equip themselves with a monster on your field so long as their level isn't greater than hers!"

Her Queens nodded, making noises of satisfaction and then began to glow sharply. "And this where Allure Dance comes in! Since my Queens are equipped, I can trigger their evolution effects right away! So say hello to Allure Queen LV5 times two!" (1000/1000-1500/1500x2)

The two new Queens were more mature in their beauty and colder in their aristocracy, though they were dressed the same with the addition of trailing ribbons from the backs of their clothing. Before he could comment on it, Reginald got up close and personal with it as a third Allure Queen LV5 appeared on his field. He frowned in confusion, then his expression became that of worry. "And you summoned a new Queen and now I have two monsters again….!"

"You catch on fast! _Royal Beckons!_" Rosemary's Queens held out their staves and their counterparts across the field vanished into energy that was pulled into them. It had barely settled into the royal monsters before they began to glow yet again. "And now I evolve them once more! Allure Queen LV7!" (1500/1500-2000/2000x2)

Now fully grown and all the more coldly beautiful, the Queens' staves had become proper weapons and their clothing more majestic with ribbons and dangling sleeves. Reginald frowned a third one appeared in front of him. "Why would you summon her? You can't evolve Allure Queen higher than level seven! Can you…?"

"I can't, but I don't need to! _Royal Beckons!_" Rosemary smiled as one of her Queens pulled the one on Reginald's field into it as energy with a chuckle and a sweep of her staff. "Now there's one more effect to Allure Dance! I can send a monster equipped by my Queen to the graveyard and then summon one copy of each level of Allure Queen I can! _Royal Waltz!" _

"_Wait - five Queens! It's a good thing this isn't poker or Reginald would be facing an unbeatable hand! But it's not poker, Rosemary's not cheating and -" _Cathy watched alongside everyone else as in flashes of light, the three phases of Rosemary's monster reappeared and Allure Palace raised their stats. "_And Reginald's in big trouble! Those Queens have more attack points than he has life points! And they all look like they all want to be off with his head!" _(1000) (1500) (2000x3)

"Quintuple direct attack!"Rosemary watched as her monsters all crossed their staves, a sphere of dark energy growing above it. "_Dark Flux!" _

The attack ripped through the air, slamming bodily into Reginald's chest and sending him flying backwards down the hall. He tumbled end over end before Blackwood reached out and stopped him with his foot. (RLP: 8000- 0)

Yoshito stared, dumbstruck. "But that was only four turns...to a gimmick deck…!"

"_I don't even have the words!" _Cathy looked equally stunned. "_After all these intense duels, this one was over in the blink of an eye!"_

"Mmmm...that 'gimmick deck' was the worst match-up Reginald could have gotten." Crypt explained to Yoshito as his boss just stared. "His Dragonmaid deck relies on the battle phase to make things work and has to have monsters on board. If he doesn't...nothing works."

"Save me the explanation." Yoshito said tartly, readjusting his suit as if the act somehow refreshed the man himself. "All I need to know is that it got me a loss. And I didn't hire any of you to do that!"

"You hired us to play a game, kiddo. Someone wins, someone loses." Crypt shugged and stowed his hands in his pockets as he walked away. "Not my fault you're playing for such big stakes or you're broadcasting live."

_It's not my fault either! _Yoshito was glaring after the man, but inwardly, he felt loose. Pale and weak. Like his suit was a few sizes too big. _I didn't want it to be public or to have it so soon! I haven't even had a chance to finish negotiations with I2's Board but….he insisted…._

An image in his head, his own face fearful in the tiny Skype window while his caller filled the rest. The heavy shadows doing little to hide how imposing he was. Menacing oozing off of everything - the gray eyes, the sharp smile. And his voice...his voice made Yoshito shiver. So calm, so polite, so _cold_.

'_Your family's debt is due, Yoshito. And since you're so confident you can pay it off in one move, why not invite me and the rest of the world to watch? In fact, I insist.'_

Yoshito had only nodded at the time, unable to find enough voice to question why this needed to be a public affair. Why the billions of the people in the world had to know. Not when _he _always operated in shadows. _Now though...this spectacle...the whole world watching...but I feel like the sideshow._

To what, was the question. What was so big, so important, so necessary that the greatest technological marvel of the century and the fate of the world's most favorite game was the distraction?

What was so important that Yoshito had to be the bait?

_No. I have to stop thinking like that. It doesn't matter what the reasons are, all that matters is that I win this tournament and claim my prizes. I can wipe my family's debt, gain a wife and her technology and ruin the world's biggest gaming to the point I can just pocket it all at my leisure! _Yoshito felt his spine stiffen in resolve and anger. _Just because they evened the score doesn't mean my victory is any less likely! _

He glanced over at his remaining duelist. Daniel Pilkington was just approaching his mid-thirties with touches of gray in his reddish brown hair and had barely spoken since they'd arrived. Just observed the duels and not much else. But he was fifth in the world, a rookie who'd risen to his position in just after a year of effort. The most powerful duelist Yoshito could recruit.

"I'm counting on you, Pilkington. This next duel….your victory had better be worth every penny." Yoshito informed him.

Daniel just looked at him, then brushed past him. "You hired me to duel, you didn't hire me to win."

Yoshito felt an nasty twitch develop above one of his eyes. "You dare speak to me that way-"

"Save it. I'll win, if my opponent's worth winning against." Daniel strode through the big doors at the end of the hall. "That's all you need to know."

TTTTTTT

"Lero? Lero? Are you in there? I won! I won! We're two all!"

"That's great Rosie - don't come in! There's nudity in here!"

"So? I've seen you naked! Remember when we went to the water park?"

"He wasn't talking about himself, Hot Stuff!"

"Jackie!"

"Alright, alright, keep it in your pants, Sky Horse. Hand me that sock and we can go see who needs kicking next…"

TTTTTT

The darkness on Duelist Kingdom had decided on a satisfactory name. And deciding upon that name had indeed made it more powerful, more there. More resolute in its purpose.

It was going to subsume those who were dueling atop it and therefore, be at peace once again.

It had also come to understand irony, of a sort. The fact the duels and the life behind them were something it utterly despised, yet they also strengthened it. The summoning of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend had caused its power to increase again and now it had enough wherewithal to move from thinking to planning.

And planning involved creating extensions of itself. That which would carry out its will.

It had solidified its screaming many into its one self, but those souls were still disparate enough it could peel them off itself and spilling them out into the world.

A towering broad box of a man with dark hair and thick clothing with the letters 'P' and 'K' on his coat.

The rotten, beaten-looking white haired being who hummed to himself an eerie melody that gave even the restless souls pause.

Tall, lanky and sallow faced, handsomeness ruined by ruthlessness and dead eyes seeing only revenge.

Beside him, a man dressed in billowing theatre cloak, broad hat with sunken eyes and a mask of silence strapped over his face. A doll of the dead handsome man danced idly, jerking in a bad dance...though no strings connected puppet and puppeteer.

And a man with silver hair, adjusting the crimson bowtie of his dark suit bearing a cruelly amused smile, as if he was about to reveal some terrible secret.

Duelists. Warriors. Agents. And above all, servants.

As one, they knelt to the darkness of Duelist Kingdom.

They knelt to Nitemare.

TTTTTT

The throne room of Pegasus Castle stood out among the oddities of art and glamorous decorations of the rest of the castle with how plain it was. Simple stone floor with a single red carpet leading up to the dias. Light poured down from above thanks to a skylight that illuminated the throne and softened the room's hard edges while at the same time reminding visitors that this was a room of importance. Bereft of any eccentricities and little telltales that signified who owed it, Yoshito found the throne room so unlike Maximillion Pegasus that he had to wonder just what the game designer kept it for.

But the person currently seated in it suited the throne like blue suited the sky and Yoshito had to pause to collect himself before speaking as manners kicked. "Hello again, Miss Kaiba. I am surprised and pleased to see you-"

"You will address me as Mrs. Pegasus."

Yoshito froze in mid-word and he could hear the surprised noises from the rest of his party. "I...beg your pardon?"

"I am Sumire Ishtar Pegasus now, not Kaiba." Sumire was dressed to match her name, Yoshito noted distantly. Formal business, string bow-tie and ruffles. Even her hair had been done up to more resemble Lero and his father. And the manservant standing patiently to her left completed the image. "Your sad excuse for a ploy is over now."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean. As the Japanese Government explained, this is an alternative method to dealing with the convoluted contracts in courts for years. I-" Yoshito fell silent as she slashed her hand through the air to cut him off.

"You know, in every step of this tournament, it's always been about what other people want. You. The I2 Board of Directors. The Japanese Government. All of you _want_ something out of this." Her gaze flicked around every person in the room before finally settling on the camera, and the world at large. "Did nobody, _nobody_, think to take five minutes to maybe ask me what _I_ want?"

She didn't wait for an answer. "Of course you didn't. Everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten that at the middle of this fight is a person. Someone who's life and future are riding on this. But nobody cares about that. All any of you care about is your own agenda. Your companies. Your profit. Your contracts. What's the freedom of one woman compared to all of that?"

Her attention zeroed back in on Yoshito, who's eyes were now darting to the camera, as he realised what everyone else was seeing - a formidable woman, who had been silenced long enough. "You've spent this entire tournament throwing flashy fights, and pretty words to distract everyone from what I want. So before the next fight gets underway, I'm going to make myself very plain. I. Am Married To Lero. Not you. Not anyone else."

Yoshito gaped at her, uncaring as the drones circled to catch his stricken face. "You cannot just - ! This is a legal matter and as unfortunate as it is, you cannot simply decide this! The contracts-"

"I am not talking about the contracts, or companies, or any other supposed obligations that you feel I must fulfill - I am talking about me. My life. And my choice." She gave him a piercing look. "You may have lost sight of that while you were busy staking my future on the outcome of a game."

"It is a legal matter that is more effectively resolved through this tournament then spending decades of our lives in court untangling this mess!" Yoshito protested. "This was agreed upon by the I2 Board of Directors, Ironwrought Industries and the Japanese Government. And yes, it is only making a terrible situation slightly better, but I at least have shown myself since the beginning and have owned up to the mistakes my grandfather made! Bellerophon's father signed the same contract, but he has not shown himself at all!"

"My husband," Sumire stressed the word pointedly, "is unwell. And more to the point, he does not _need _to be here because as I said, I am Mrs. Pegasus." She rose and stepped down the dias. "I came to Duelist Kingdom by my own will and my own choice to marry Bellerophon. Whatever you or anyone else thinks of that or him or how we fit together is _irrelevant, _Yoshito."

"He's just as much as fault and with I2's stranglehold on your family's company-"

"Irrelevant in the face of our marriage. The marriage I wanted, the one I chose, the one I will always choose over the likes of the self-serving arrogance and greed that motivates you and all those who support you." Sumire and Yoshito were the same height, yet she towered over him like a lion would a mouse.

Yoshito visibly swallowed his retort, but the anger it had with it still made the lines of his face hard and ruthless. "You still have to win the tournament-"

"No, Yoshito, _you _have to win the tournament. I have to dispose of the garbage." Sumire glared at him a moment more and then turned back to march towards the throne. "Verthandi?"

"Right here, Mrs. Pegasus. SchroederCorp is willing to support you and your choices," Verthandi appeared as if by magic. Dressed in a tasteful blue and gold dress that was just fashionable enough to be memorable without overshadowing Sumire's lowkey apparel.

Sumire seated herself, fingers steeped in front of her expectantly. "Crush his last duelist and throw Yoshito out of my castle."

"Gladly." Verthy raised her Duel Disk, watching as her opponent emerged from the group. "Ah, Daniel Pilkington! I've followed your career with great interest!"

"Thanks," Daniel raked a hand through his hair. "Didn't think being a member of the Top Ten would be so aggrandizing, though. Or inconvenient." He glanced up at Sumire. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about all this. If I had known the full details, never would have signed up."

"There is no need of you or the others to apologize. You are duelists and are only doing your jobs. But it is accepted." Sumire said, lifting an eyebrow. "That being said, I do hope you will provide the world with an entertaining final duel. Something good has to come of this mess."

"That, I can get behind. After all, when we duel, it's not about anything but what's on the table, right?" Daniel activated his own disk and drew his opening hands. "That said, bad stakes or not - I'm not holding back!"

"Neither shall I," Verthandi agreed as she drew as well. "I believe I'm going to dedicate this victory to my dear friend Bellerophon and his lovely new wife."

"Heh. Hell of a wedding present." Daniel's lips curled in an eager grin. "Show me what you've got!"

TTTTTTT

_Next Chapter: The final duel of the tournament comes roaring in! The power of the world's strongest rookie is tested against the power of Verthy's mysterious new deck!_

_Vs Daniel! The Iron Man of the Pro League! _

_Fun Fact: This duel was supposed to be quite long, with Reginald running Invoked alongside his Dragonmaids and Rosemary using a deck centered on equip cards. But the drafts never really took off and to be honest, I was surprised when Rosemary was capable of OTKing him thanks to Allure Queens. Just goes to show, victory's never a certain thing in Duel Monsters._

Original Cards:

_Rosemary's new Allure Queen support came from the Yu-gi-oh VRAINS series, for any who were wondering. Soul Barter comes from the Yu-gi-oh R Manga._

_Reginald:_

Dragonmaid Dinner Party  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: At the start of the Battle Phase, for each Level 7 or higher 'Dragonmaid' monster you summon, you can select one monster on your opponent's side of the field. The selected monsters must attack this turn if they are able. Once per turn, you can shuffle five 'Dragonmaid' monsters from your graveyard back int your deck; then draw two cards.


	13. Vs Daniel! The Iron Man of the Pro Leagu

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

A/N: _Daniel Pilkington is the creation of fanfic author wolf general. Go check out his Yu-gi-oh stories if you like lots of duels, fanmade cards and quirky characters!_

Chapter 13: Vs Daniel! The Iron Man of the Pro League!

"...I should go out there-"

"And ruin all her hard work? No way, Sky Horse. You stay back here. Sumire's reminded everyone that this tournament is all about her, and you do not want to be the man who strides in and takes that away."

Lero scowled at Jackie's logic and then seated himself in one of his chairs with a huff. "If I don't make an appearance, it doesn't matter if Verthy wins, Yoshito's words are still going to stick with the Internet."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself." Rosemary seated herself on the chair's arm. "You don't like the spotlight and you've been living under the world' scrutiny for the last two years. But Sumire's taken that attention and put it on her. More than, she went and owned it." The British woman offered a wry look "I don't think I like her just yet, but I respect the move she pulled. She flipped everything on its head and now even if Verthy lost, the Internet will lynch Yoshito."

"And piss on the corpse." Jackie was bending over Kaede as she skimmed the social media channels, uncaring that her wet hair was dripping onto the keyboard. "There's still plenty of hate for you, but the Internet has gone crazy with love for Sumire. Listen to some of these - _"Definitely a Kaiba!"_ "_Yoshito Decrall struggles to comprehend that a woman finally said 'no' to him." "Fierce Queen defends her castle."_."

"Mmm...we might want to flag some of these to Kaiba Corp's PR team," Kaede put in, her eyes not leaving the Twitter feed. "Some journalists have been digging up information on her past."

"They can't have," Jessie declared. She was making an effort to appear nonplussed by her defeat, but Lero had seen her face warping back into a scowl when nobody was looking. "Her mom made sure she had no record, and so did Mokuba. Hell, I only knew her because our families are all mates."

"I don't know what to tell you, cuz," Kaede said, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Sumire is Kaiba's daughter, but that dark skin and hair? Not that hard to put two and two together. There's already people clamoring for her to prove it with a DNA test, but I would also bet there's people trying to hack into KC and Japan to find records of her existence."

"What?" Jackie looked up from her screen. "Why the hell would that happen?"

"This is already the biggest news story of the decade, if not the century. Kaiba's long-lost daughter, his Bleeding Edge Technology made functional again, the marriage contracts and everything else. And that first one is the big one. If someone could prove she wasn't Kaiba's kid or whatever, they'd make a fortune selling it to the news media. Or trying to blackmail Mokuba with it." Lero said with another huff. "Speaking of digging, Kaede, you found something on Yoshito?"

"Kind of?" The redhead drawled with a shrug. "I don't have the time or tech to get into his company records, so I just used some of my bots and Google to do a cross-referencing search of his family, Ironwrought Industries and major deals they had going back a century before matching that against Ironwrought's competitors and anyone who has the money power to boss him around, plus the Japanese National Debts largest holder and -" She broke off as she realized everyone was staring at her. "And none of you care about how that I did it, just what I got."

"The rest of us don't speak tech geek, cuz." Jessie said with an eyeroll. "What's the point of all that?"

"Well, I got something kind of interesting. See, Ironwrought and KaibaCorp never produced weapons in the same fields. KaibaCorp focused on improving modern technology and simplified productions while Ironwrought was more experimental and innovative. Like, there is literally a department they have dedicated to developing anti-Kaiju weapons."

"Kaede -"

"I'm getting there, Jess! Geeze, not everything finishes as fast as you!" Kaede growled and the two cousins stuck their tongues out at each other. "But Ironwrought was never as powerful as KaibaCorp. Not until thirty years ago. Just after all the Orichalcos nonsense and-"

"Ori-what?" Jackie said, lifting her head. "I have no idea what that is. Or how you spell it."

"I don't know what it is, either." Rosemary admitted.

"Long story - short version is the Orichalcos was responsible for the 'Monster Invasion' incident. And not quite as well known, but just as important, the same people who had the Orichalcos also ran a massive company called Paradias whose didn't actually _make _anything. They just owned stock in over seventy percent of the world's top one hundred companies and nearly broke the economy after they started buying up every company off that list. Including I2 and KaibaCorp." Lero explained. His expression had sharpened and he was leaning forwards with professional interest. "And Ironwrought Industries, I'm assuming."

"Actually, that's the thing I found. Ironwrought didn't get picked up by Paradias - someone outbid them." Kaede said and nodded as Lero started, Jessie whistled and Raymon gaped.

"Uh, hey. I get this is about so much money that I'll never even own a fraction of a percent of it, but don't just ignore the poor black woman." Jackie snarked. "Make this make sense for me and tell me how it helps us."

"The amount of money to buy majority shares in any company is huge, Jackie. And for companies like I2 and so on, it's at least in the billions. Paradias was buying out dozens of companies with that same cost at the same time. Even if that money wasn't real or it was fraud or whatever, it's still more money than God. But if they couldn't buy out Ironwrought, then…" Raymon trailed off, frowning. "Somebody had even more money than that."

"Which leads to a few questions - who has that kind of money? Why would they only buy out Ironwrought? And are they behind Yoshito's reckless decision to have the tournament now? And why?" Lero said, eyes narrowing in focus. "Kaede, how big was Ironwrought's rebound after Orichalcos?"

"Huge. After the Monster Invasion incident, it wasn't just the Japanese Special Defense Force that wanted all that experimental anti-monster tech. Every government in the world was clamoring for it and throwing money their way. It got even better after Darkness happened ten years later."

Lero tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair thoughtfully. "So someone bailed out Ironwrought, banking on their resurgence after the Monster Invasion to make it as powerful as it is. You only support a weapons company if you want a war. Or are expecting one."

"As logical as it is, it doesn't feed into the Bride Tournament." Rosemary said. "You cannot fight a war with card games."

"There's still the Bleeding Edge technology. The day she arrived, Sumire and I already thought up a lot of ways to turn solid holograms into weapons or worse. If Yoshito got it, he could revolutionize the way wars are fought. Imagine supplying an army with something the size of a Duel Disk and they can generate everything from armor to weapons to tanks just by thinking about it." Lero said with a dark frown.

"Which brings us full circle - Yoshito had everything going his way and then he bumrushes you. And thanks to Sumire, his stock is tanking, his rep is on fire and the world's just waiting for the chance to mob him." Jessie put in, violet eyes thoughtful. "You think whoever saved his company thirty years ago put him up to it?"

"You'd only do something like that if there was something more important or more valuable than the Bleeding Edge tech on the line and it had a time limit." Lero pointed out. "And it has to be something tied to I2, given everything else that's going on. And I don't know anything we have that could qualify. Not even Duel Monsters."

"There's time to figure out all the muckety-muck later. So let's put a lid on it." Jackie cut in, folding her arms as the others looked at her. "Look, I can already see stress lines on Sky Horse's forehead coming back and I don't need all this speculation and conspiracy talk to give him another panic attack. Not after I screwed, nailed and bolted him back together."

Lero made an embarrassed noised, though was somewhat mollified as Rosemary rubbed his shoulder. "Telling a roomful of my exes about what we did isn't relaxing either, Jackie!"

"Well, maybe seeing Verthy kick ass can fix it." Jackie pointed at the big screen TV that was broadcasting the tournament's live-feed. "They're about to start."

TTTTTTT

"_This is it, this is it! The last duel of the Bride Tournament! The fate of so much hangs in the balance, I can't even find the words to put it in! So let's have the duelists do the talking for us!" _Cathy said. _"The Iron Man of the PRo League, famous for how resilient his unstoppable pace is! And the heir of SchroderCorp in whom Sumire Pegasus has put in all her trust! We've seen dead machines, living pizzas, space aliens - what else could they possibly surprise us with!?"_

A giant holographic coin appeared between the two duelists as Cathy's drones spread into a loose ring to catch the duel from all sides. It spun and flipped through the air before landing with a crash that displayed the Eye of Horus.

Verthy smiled at that. "That means I take the first turn - draw!" Pulling her card free, she grabbed another one from her hand. "The spell card Reinforcement of the Army - I add one warrior monster whose level is four or lower to my hand!"

She caught the card her deck spat out and slapped it onto her disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in defense mode and because I have no other cards in play, I draw twice!" A squat, blue-armored superhero appeared in front of her kneeling on his card. (800/1200)

Plucking up two more cards, she held one up. "Polymerization! I fuse Bubbleman with another hero in my hand to summon out Elemental Hero - Fate Shine!"

Bubbleman faded away into a swirling vortex which in turn spat out a tall, lanky hero covered in lustrous black armor to the point even his face was a black mask. A dark gold cape flowed dramatically around his shoulders as he folded his arms imperiously. (2200/2200)

"Since I summoned Fate Shine, he lets me set a particular card from my deck!" A clear digital cubes rained out of nowhere to collect into a brown-backed card in front of the heiress and she nodded approvingly. "This Bleeding Edge system is so delightful. I end my turn."

Daniel drew, his lips curling in a light smile. "So a hero user, huh? Have to say - I didn't expect that out of the daughter of Siegfried Von Schroeder."

"If my reputation precedes me, you didn't really think I'd be stuck using Valkyries?" Verthy tittered in amusement.

"Sorry, wasn't a dig at you - just making a comment because I always find mirror matches so interesting."

"Mirror…?" Verthy watched a spell card materialized on Daniel's field. "E-Emergency Call!"

"This lets me add a E-Hero from my deck to my hand, so I'll do what you did and summon Bubbleman!" Daniel slapped down the card and the blue-suited hero appeared in front of him, striking a pose. "And since I don't have any cards, either, I draw twice!"

"_It looks this is going to be a clash of heroes, folks! And Elemental Heroes have over fifty fusions to choose from! Meaning even if they play the same cards, we could end up with wildly different strategies and plays!" _Cathy pumped a fist in the air. "_If this tournament has proven anything, we're going to be in for a surprise!"_

"Let's go! Polymerization!" Daniel held up the card and a yellow/blue-suited hero appeared on his field alongside Bubbleman. "I fuse Elemental Heroes Sparkman and Bubbleman together to summon Elemental Hero - Alchemax!"

His new hero appeared in a fountain of water that was sucked inside the suit wore, the liquid pumping around the yellow body. Lightning arced through the water as he flexed his muscles, generating an aura of power around him. (2200/2200)

"_And right off the bat, Pilkington summons a hero I've never seen before! Look at that costume!" _Cathy cheered. _"Do you think he's carbonated?" _

"He serves up justice on the rocks." Daniel was grabbing another card from his hand. "I activate Hero Team Jet!"

There was a whooshing sound and everyone looked up to see a broad, flat red jet dive in through the ceiling. Balancing on its wings were two with heroes. "Since I have a high level E-Hero in play, I can summon two normal E-Heroes from my deck! Avian! Clayman!"

The two heroes leapt off the jet, the winged and armored green hero landing with a graceful flap of his wings while the other just crashed to the ground so hard it cratered. His burly, blocky body was too heavy to do otherwise. (1000/1000) (800/2000)

"Then I activate Alchemax's effect! I equip any card I want from the deck to a E-Hero on the field! So Clayman can hitch a ride in his new Boulder Tank!" The burly hero jumped up, landing behind the wheel of a massive tank that looked like it'd been carved from a single giant stone and slapped some wheels on. And Clayman still looked too big to fit. "This raises his attack by eight hundred!" (800-1600)

The redheaded man shoved a card into his graveyard. "I discard Captain Gold to add 'Skyscraper' from my deck to the hand and then I'll activate it!" Around them, the throne room warped and twisted so that they were standing on a paved road with towering, lit skyscrapers surrounding them. "I bet as a hero user, you know what this card does."

"When an E-Hero battles a stronger monster, it gains one thousand attack for that battle." Verthy said as she watched Clayman rev his tank loudly despite there being no visible engine. "And as it only works for the turn player, it will not boost my Fate Shine's attack."

"Right in one! Go Clayman! Run down Fate Shine! _Boulder Drive!_" Clayman and his tank shot forwards like a racecard, smashing into Fate Shine so hard he shattered (1600-2600)

Verthy braced herself as her monster's pixels washed over her, gown billowing as Clayman banked around her in an impossible hairpin turn. "I activate my trap card!" (VLP: 8000-7600)

"Since your monster had to search it, I hope it's a good one-" Daniel broke off, his eyes going wide. "No way…"

Crypt's jaw dropped, his casual stance falling away. "You have got to be shittin' me…"

"_I'm glad you said that." _Cathy looked equally dumbstruck. _"I can't say that on live TV." _

Blackwood's eyebrows were trying to jump into his hairline. "The conspiracy behind those cards-"

ZZ Toppa was just staring, slackjawed.

Reginald was blinking slowly.

Yoshito looked bewildered. "...someone wanna explain what the big deal is?"

TTTTTTT

"No fucking way, no fucking way!" Jackie was shaking her head if this would change the image she was seeing on the screen.

"This is impossible! Only one set of those cards exist!" Jessie exclaimed, her eyes darting over to everyone else who was giving the screen a look of surprise or awe. Then she shoved a glance at a stunned-looking Lero. "Unless-"

"No, we can't print any of those cards without express permission of their owner! They're like the Blue-Eyes!" Lero insisted. "The only way she could get those cards is if the original owner gave them to her!"

TTTTTTT

Verth smiled in polite bemusement, even as her trap glowed and wafts of steam slid from it entirely. "I fail to see what the fuss is about - it's merely D-Time."

The card glowed and cards began to slide out of her deck. "When an Elemental Hero on my field is destroyed, I can add Destiny Heroes whose combined levels equal that monster's level! As Fate Shine was level eight, I added Disk Commander, Captain Tenacious, Dark Angel and Doom Lord from my deck to my hand!"

"D-Heroes…" Daniel watched her pick up the cards before his stunned look morphed into an eager grin and then a short laugh. "I don't know how you got them, but seeing you play them makes this bull assignment completely worth it!"

"Don't worry, there's more." Verthy pointed at her field and black flames erupted. "As Destiny Shine was destroyed, I can summon any D-Hero I want from the deck! Come forth, Destiny Hero - Dragonguy!"

The flames warped and then twisted on themselves to become a short man in dark armor with dragon-head gauntlets on his arms and a cape of pure fire. (700/1400)

"_Ladies and gentlemen! This whole tournament has been the most pivotal moment in dueling history, but this...this...the only word I can use to describe this is a miracle!" _Cathy stammered into her mic. "_After more than fifteen years of inactivity, the legendary Destiny Heroes have taken the field again! A deck alleged to be able to challenge and defeat fate itself!" _

"Fitting, no?" Verthy commented, her smile spreading. "A deck of destiny to shatter the dark fate surrounding my friend Belleorphon."

"I'd be lying if I said I thought that was nonsense. But...personal feelings aside, I couldn't ask for better opponents for my E-Heroes! And it's still my battle phase! Go Alchemax!" Daniel snapped out a hand to point at Dragonguy. "Attack him with _Thunder Bubble!_"

The hero clapped his hands together, stretching them out to reveal a giant bubble between them. It shimmered in the light, then began to crackle like a livewire as he whipped it across the field. It accelerated as it moved, stretching out into a lightning-bolt shaped bubble. "Take this!"

"I'd rather not and neither will Dragonguy! By attacking him, you've activated his effect! I excavate one card and if it is a D-Hero monster, your attack is negated!" She drew and held up the card between two fingers. "Destiny Hero - Malicious is most definitely a monster! Dragonguy! _Dragon Flame Boosted!" _

Dragonguy lifted both hands, the eyes on the gauntlets lighting up as the flames of his cape began to flare with intensity. Fire erupted from his hands, vaporizing the oncoming attack and cascading over Daniel's field like a small inferno. Both fusion monster and duelist shielded their faces from the hit, Daniel gritting his teeth as the flames began to crawl towards him. "The heat…"

"The second part of Dragonguy's effect - I send the revealed monster to the graveyard and deal you damage equal to lets level times two hundred!" Verthy smirked as her monster's flames became a rearing dragon head that sank its fangs into Daniel's upraised arm. (DLP: 8000-6800)

"Damn, that stings...but it's what I get for running in blind." Daniel brushed the last of the holographic flames off his arm and grabbed a card from him. "It'll take more than luck to beat me, though - I set one card face down and end my turn!"

"You call it luck, knowing what these cards are?" Verthy asked as she drew. "Either you are a non-believer or just confident in your victory."

"I just don't think destiny and fate are anything to worry about except after the fact - duelists live here, now, in the moment. If you rely on outside forces than your own skills in a time like this, you might as well be a puppet." Daniel cocked an eyebrow as Verthy's expression thinned. "Don't like my answer?"

"Now is not the time for a philosophical debate - as you said, duelists live in the moment and at this moment, the turn is mine!" Verthy pointed at Dragonguy. "I use his effect once more! This time, you take a straight seven hundred damage! _Dragon Flames!" _The hero lifted his gauntlets and spewed out a wash of flames over Daniel again. (DLP: 6800-6100)

A card dropped out of her graveyard and with a growling roar, a muscular demon appeared on her field with cloven hooves digging into the stone and wings flaring. "I banish the Malicious from my graveyard to summon one from my deck!" (800/800)

The German woman flipped around a spell card. "Desperado Manager! I draw two cards, but have to return three from my hand to the deck in any order!" Snapping up her draws, she slid three cards back onto her deck with barely a second glance. "Then Double Summon! I get two normal summons this round! So I sacrifice Dragonguy for Destiny Hero - Double Dude!"

The dragon hero vanished to replaced by a very slender man in dark, Victorian-style clothing and sunglasses. He tipped his hat to Daniel as he rapped his cane on the floor. (1000/1000)

"Then I sacrifice Malicious for Destiny Hero- Dynamiteguy!" Her demon winked out to let a new hero step out on to the field. He was strapped with bandoliers of dynamite like it was going out of style and was actually hunched over from the weight of five massive sticks of the explosive tied to his back. (2000/1000)

"_Looks the D-Heroes have been recruiting in their time away! Not only have we never seen Dragonguy, but Dynamiteguy is something else! He's loaded for bear -and tigers and lions, oh my! Hope no one smokes - looks like one spark could send us all to kingdom come!" _Cathy bounced on her heels as she watched the new heroes. "_I bet he's got one explosive effect!"_

"You have no idea how much how so! When Dynamiteguy is tribute summoned, I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard! For each Destiny Hero among them, one card on the field is destroyed!" Verthy held up the cards, all three showing the orange border of an effect monster. "Celestial, Disk Guy and Dark Angel all are monsters! Dynamiteguy, _Explosive Parade!" _

Dynamiteguy pulled a lit stick of dynamite off his belt and swiped it over the large ones on his back. Their wicks hissed with violent intent and when they all burnt out, they boomed out blasts in sequence that blew a hole in the Skyscraper behind Daniel, shattered his set card into dust and sent Alchemax stumbling with a gaping, smoking wound in his armor before he exploded into dust.

"When Alchemax dies -" Daniel grabbed his deck and snatched a card out of it. "I can search for another equip spell!"

"Now for my next move!" Verthy pointed at her Malicious and the demon threw back his head with an angry bellow. His body bulged as muscle piled on itself, his wings spread even further while tusks grew out of his lower jaw and bloody fur sprouted all over him. "When I have two banished Malicious, I can banish the last one to summon Destiny Hero -Malevolence from my Extra Deck!" (2400/2400)

"_Looks high dentist bills are in this hero's destiny! Look at those teeth!" _Cathy commented, taking a step away from the new monster. _"I think his last meal is still stuck between them…!"_

"Dynamiteguy attacks Avian! _Explosion Strike!" _Dynamiteguy whipped out two lit sticks of dynamite, twirling them between his fingers before hurling them one after the other at Avian. The hero folded his armored wings up around him, but both sticks blew on contact. And all that flew out of the resulting cloud was a few singed feathers. (DLP: 5100)

"Malevolence attacks Clayman! _Death Grip!" _

Daniel braced himself as the fusion demon jumped and crashed down Clayman, toppling the tank on its side from the impact. Grave chips sprayed and stung him as the demon slashed away relentlessly, gouges opening up on the hero's supposedly unbreakable body. "Don't count Clayman out! Once per turn, his tank keep him safe from destruction!" (DLP: 5100-4300)

Verthy's eyes narrowed as Clayman slugged Malevolence, sending her hero crashing back to her field spitting out fangs. "Then Double Dude will attack!"

"What - why would you-" Daniel gapped as the gentleman hero shot forwards and drove his cane like a rapier into Clayman. The E-Hero gave of a gravelly groan of pain, cracks spreading across him sharply. "His attack points went up to twenty-eight hundredf" (DLP: 4300-3100) (1000-2800)

"When Dyamiteguy destroys cards, I can boost the attack of another hero by six hundred for each one!" Verthy smirked as Clayman blew apart. "Now for Double Dude's second attack!"

Her hero doubled over as his body twisted and warped. His clothing expldoed as fur-covered muscle tore its way out and claws burst out of his hands. With a hungry wolf's howl, the werewolf charged for Daniel with fangs and claws at the ready.

"Sorry, but I'd rather not need a tetanus shot! The effect of Boulder Tank activates! When its sent to the graveyard, I summon a Clayman from any location! My deck will keep me safe!" Daniel caught the card as it ejected and slapped it down. The burly hero appeared in front of him with arms cross and a gleam in his visor suggesting he was eager for a rematch - it was still there when Double Dude clawed him in half and the head landed at Daniel's feet before shattering into pixels.

"Very good - I'd expect nothing less from the world's fifth greatest duelist. But I cannot afford to lose here!" Verthy said with a sharp look. "Turn end!"

"_Talk about a duel! Vethy's surprise deck may have thrown the whole world, but Daniel's keeping his cool and not missing a beat! This clash of heroes is just getting started! Don't blink - you don't want to miss a single turn!" _

"Draw!" Daniel drew and then shoved a card into his disk. "Miracle Fusion! I banish Avian and Clayman to fusion summon! Get ready to rock, Elemental Hero -Avalanche!"

The two named heroes appeared in the air above before twirling together and spitting out a burly winged man whose wings looked to be made of marble while he himself was granite. Even his chiseled physique didn't explain how he managed to stay aloft. "And when Avalanche is summoned, all monsters on the field with equal or less defense than his attack take cover! Double Dude and Dynamiteguy, to your knees!" (1000/2000)

Avalanche beat his wings, kicking out a gravel storm in a few flaps that sent both heroes to their knees while shielding their faces. Malevolence just dug cloven hooves into the ground and roared over the rattling noise. "Then his attack goes up by eight hundred for each one! (1000-2600)

Daniel help up another card. "Last turn, Alchemax searched for the equip spell Hero's Return! I revive Alchemax and equip him with this card!" Lighting blew out of the card and resolved into the bubbling hero in all his glory. "Then Alchemax's effect happens again and I'll give him Bubble Bazooka straight from the deck!"

A massive bazooka dropped out of the air into the hero's waiting hands, the massive water tank at one end doing little to upset his balance as he dropped to a knee and took aim. "Alchemax attacks Dynamiteguy! _Bubble Pressure!"_

The hero fired, Dynamiteguy getting caught in a high pressure blast that threw him back behind Verthy as he exploded. "Then Avalanche destroys Malevolence! _Terra Collapse!" _

Despite its name, the only collapsing in the attack came when the rock hero produced a huge boulder out of nowhere and dropped it on the growling demon. The D-Hero's legs and tail twitched comically underneath it and then he vanished.

"Color me surprised." Verthy said, barely flinching from the pain from her Duel Disk as her life points dipped. "I'd have thought you would have gone for Double Dude, considering he's stronger than both of your fusions." (VLP: 7600-7400)

"I don't know all the D-Heroes, but I know him. If I destroy him, you'll get two free tokens next turn. And I also know that D-Heroes don't rely on fusions for big monsters. Plasma and Dogma both can special summoned with three tributes and Dreadmaster only takes two." Daniel said as he slid a card into his disk. "I'm not keen on fighting any of them right now. End turn!"

"I don't need any of those three right now - Double Dude is plenty for you right now! Draw!" Verthy snapped up her card. "I set two cards face-down and summon Destiny Hero - Fear Monger!" Her new hero didn't quite live up to his name being short with nondescript armor and his only dangerous feature being two energy cannons in place of his arms. (1000/1000)

"Reverse card open! Stand Down!" Daniel snapped his fingers and his set card lifted to reveal a quick-play card, showing Blade Knight and Swordsman of Landstar kneeling in the middle of a fight as Cosmo Queen stepped out of the background. "All warriors on my field switch to defense mode!"

Verthy scowled as his two fusions both knelt, arms over their chests. "More defensive tricks, but as you like it - I switch my Double Dude back to attack position and then have him attack Avalanche and then Alchemax!"

Avalanche became Rubble as Double Dude's cane shattered him in a single blow before he transformed into his werewolf form and pounced on Alchemax. Water and electricty sprayed everywhere, but when Double Dude jumped back to Verthy's field, all that was left was a little puddle. "Now Fear Monger-"

"Not so fast! First, I draw one card because you sent Bubble Bazooka to the graveyard! Then, I summon Bubbleman from any location! So from my deck in defense mode!" Daniel smirked as the blue-suited hero appeared in front of him, already reaching for my deck. "And since my field's empty, I draw twice!"

_His defense is too high for Fear Monger to break through-! _Verthy glanced at her hand and tried not to frown. _This man is truly a Pro- his defense is impeccable! _"End turn!"

"My move!" Daniel drew. "Graceful Charity - I draw three cards and then discard two!" He did so, one side of his mouth curling in a smirk as he held up another card. "Monster Recovery! I shuffle Bubbleman and my hand back into the deck, then draw the same number of cards!"

Bubbleman winked out of sight as the Pro shuffled his deck together and then drew a set of cards. "Perfect! Then I activate Law of the Cosmos!"

Verthy blinked in confusion at the card's image of a starry galaxy. It looked like no hero support she knew of. "And what does that do?"

"It allows you to set a trap card from your deck."

Verthy stared at him, but despite that light smirk, Daniel's face betrayed nothing and the smirk itself could have easily been playful or mocking. "Very well - I'll take the bait! I set one card from my deck!"

Daniel watched the card flash into existence in front of her. "Then that means I can summon my favorite monster! The real trap master is here! From my deck, come out!" His deck shot out a beam of light that became a towering cyborg clad in green armor, leather and reflective red goggles. "Jinzo!" (2400/1500)

"_Huh-? Jinzo?" _Cathy cocked her head at the new monster. "_He's not an Elemental Hero!"_

Verthy had no such comments, her expression tight. _My other set cards are also traps and now Jinzo prevents me from activating them - so my defenses might as well be paper! I got cocky because I was winning!_

"He's my favorite monster, they're my favorite archetype - the two don't have to coincide! But now that you mention it, Jinzo just might the guy my heroes need! So let's get this team-up going! Activate Hero Mask! I send one hero to the graveyard and then one monster on my field takes that hero's name! I send Elemental Hero Necroshade!"

Jinzo's cold chuckle somehwo got even more menacing as a dark glow suffused him and Daniel grabbed his next card. "Now that he's a hero, I can use my second Hero Team Jet! Come out, Burstinatrix and Avian!"

The red jet swooped by and alongside the winged Avian was a heroine clad in red spandex with flames dancing around her hands. (1000/1000) (1200/700)

"I'm not done! O- Oversoul! I revive Sparkman!" Daniel smirked as in a burst of static, the yellow and blue spandex wearing hero appeared. (1600/1400)

Jinzo folded his arms, chuckling again as his glow darkened and swelled. "Since Necroshade's in the graveyard, that means I can summon Elemental Hero Edgeman without tribute!" Light bounced off his burly new hero's solid gold armor, his arm blades glinting as he slashed them through practice swings. (2600/1700)

"_Unbelievable! He went from one monster to five in the blink of an eye! And there's not a fusion among them! Pilkington's showing why he's earned the name Iron Man of the Pro League! He can whip out a whole arsenal on a moment's notice! Wait-" _Cathy looked about ready to squee as Daniel held up his next card while Crypt huffed in annoyance, Blackwood remained silent while Toppa just grumbled under his breath and Reginald looked politely annoyed. _"Is that what I think it is? Is that his success card!?"_

TTTTTT

"Success card?" Rosemary had moved from the arm of Lero's chair to Lero's lap and her question was directed into his hair instead of an ear as a result.

"In the Pro League, when you crack the top five, you are given the right to create one Duel Monsters card in recognition of your skills and talent." Jessie explained, her grumpy mood only slightly soothed as Raymon rubbed her shoulders "Lucky bastard!"

"That's neat, but seems kind of counterproductive - you could just ask for 'I win the duel' card or 'I add all five pieces of Exodia to my hand' level stuff. What's the catch?" Jackie said. When there was no answer, her eyes flicked over to Lero, who was watching with his brow furrowed. "Uh, mothership to Sky Horse?"

Snapping out of his concentration, Lero rolled his eyes. "The catch is that you can design any card you want, but there's rules for it. No instant wins, no rule breakage and so on. Same checklist I have to follow when designing new cards. The twist is that a success card is automatically released to the general public as a Ultra Rare one year after you design it - whether or not you're in the top five anymore."

"So you design a card that gives you massive advantage, soon everyone gets the same deal." Kaede wrapped up with a nod. "So what'd mister super rookie design?"

"You'll see."

TTTTTT

"I activate Heroic Pose!" Daniel grinned as the spell appeared in front of him, its picture showing Avian, Bubbleman, Burstinatrix, Clayman and Sparkman all grouped together in sharp, dynamic poses. "I draw one card for every E-Hero I have in play!"

"Five draws!?" Verthy's eyes widened as her opponent snapped up his new cards one after the other.

"_I can't believe it! We actually got to see it! Ooh, I hope - I hope- !" _Cathy did squee as Daniel's five monsters all adopted the poses shown on the card itself, Jinzo dead center. "_Aaaaahhh! It's a JoJo reference! Ahhhhhh!" _

"...I don't know what a 'JoJo' is, but I feel like the Internet is about to explode with more memes than there are stars in the sky." Yoshito said dryly as he watched Cathy wriggle in happiness.

"You have no idea." Blackwood agreed with a nod. "In fact, if you take all of the memes together and translate the poses into runes, you will find they bear striking similarities to-"

"No, thank you. I've had enough crazy today."

Flames sparked to life around Jinzo's body as Daniel held up a spell card. "H-Heated Heart gives Jinzo five hundred more attack! Destroy Double Dude! _Heat Cyber Shock!_" The cyborg gathered black energy in his cupped palms that surged with his new power and hurled it across the field. Double Dude cried out as it blew him to pixels. (2400-2900) (VLP: 7600-7500)

"Then Burstinatrix attacks Fear Monger! _Burst Fire!_" The female hero gathered flames in her hand and lashed out with twin bursts that sent the armored D-Hero flying past Verthy before he vanished. (VLP: 7500 - 7300)

Verthy staggered from the backlash, then her eyes widened at the remaining three heroes rushed her. Edgeman slashed her across the chest, then leapt away so Avian could unleash a hail of razor-edged feathers on her. But her grit teeth couldn't keep the cry of pain locked away as lightning erupted from Sparkman's outstretched fingers. (VLP: 7300-4700 -3700-2100)

"_What a hit! These heroes don't know the meaning of holding back!" _Cathy looked excited. "_Verthandi has been in control since the duel started, but it looks destiny can't match up to superpowers!"_

Daniel grabbed cards from his hand and plugged them into the disk as his monsters returned to his field. "I set two cards face-down. End turn."

"I…" Verthy found her balance and closed her eyes for a moment. "I draw!"

Snapping her card up, she pointed at her bare field. "During the Standby Phase after you defeat Double Dude, he spawns two Double Dude tokens!" In twin flashes of light, two copies of Double Dude appeared in front of her. (1000/1000)

She held up her Duel Disk, the graveyard glowing. "Then Fear Monger's effect activates during the Standby Phase as well - I revive another D-Hero! Come on, Destiny Hero - Disk Commander!" The light flew off to her field, resolving into a blue-suited hero covered in disks. "And when Disk COmmander is revived, I draw two cards!" (300/200)

Drawing twice, German duelist held up a spell card. "Destiny Draw! I discard Destiny Hero - Decider and draw twice more!" Once she'd done that, she grabbed another card. "And now Card Advance! I rearrange the top five cards of my deck and then I may tribute summon a second time this turn!"

"You're doing a lot of hand padding." Daniel commented as he folded his arms. "For the deck that's supposed to defy destiny, you're doing a lot of adjusting."

"You do not defeat destiny by luck, but by preparations! And now that mine are complete, I continue my turn! Tribute summon number one - I sacrifice a Double Dude Token to summon D-Hero Dash Guy!" The token vanished, replaced by a robotic modeled after a speed skater and balanced on wheels instead of feet. (2100/1000)

"Tribute summon number two - the remaining token and Disk Guy! I summon Destiny Hero - Dreadmaster!" Verthy smirked as her two monsters winked out of sight and a hukling shadow fell over her. It's owner was a mountain of a man who was all muscle, an iron mask sealed over his face. "And when I summon him-"

"Reverse card open! Cyber Energy Shock!" Daniel pointed at one of Verthy's set cards. "That one, Jinzo!"

The cyborg fired a blast that shattered the card, the pieces revealing it to be Destiny Signal. "And since my quick-play card just destroyed one of your traps, I can negate the effects of a card on your field! So Dreadmaster has nothing!"

"_Oh no! THat's not good! And for the audience who wasn't around when the D-Heroes were, Dreadmaster is one of their best! Not only does he revive two more heroes when he's summoned, he makes them immune to battle and damage! But with his effects negated, all he is a big walking pile of zero attack points!" _

_"Das ist voll nervig!" _Verthy swore as Dreadmaster sagged to his knees as his colors grayed out. "Then I activate another spell card! Doctor D! I banish Captain Tenacious and revive another D-Hero from the graveyard! Return, Disk Guy!"

The small hero flashed back into existence, looking somehow more powerful than Dreadmaster at the moment despite their massive size disparity. Verthy drew two more cards and her concerned expression relaxed a bit at the sight of one of them. "From my hand...I activate Polymerization!"

"Another Destiny Shine? What good will he do now?" Daniel started to ask, then his stance dropped as three heroes on her field were pulled together. "A Destiny Hero fusion?!"

"Just as your Elemental Heroes have changed over the years, so have the Destiny Heroes! I fuse Disk Guy, Dash Guy and Dreadmaster! With these heroes, I call out the hero who commands the future for both of us! Destiny Hero - Dominance!" (2900/2600)

Dominance lived up to his name. He was bigger than even Dreadmaster and heavy, overlapping plate armor was bolted into place over him. Spikes gleamed as they poked out of a spoke-like collar while his heavy cape clanked like it was made of metal. To round off the look, his zweihander was hard, angular and wielded in one hand.

"That's damn impressive." Daniel said, lips curling in that interesting smirk again. "So what was worth fusing three monsters?"

"The power alter the future for either of us, but namely you." Verthy smiled as cards appeared above Daniel's heads. "I can rearrange the top five cards of your deck. But I only need to look at them, so they can go back in the same order."

"Oh-kay…" Daniel watched the cards fade out. "Now what?"

"Now I activate Drawber." Verthy held up the card, it's picture a traditional safe opened and a hand reaching into loot some Duel Monsters cards. "To do so, I declare the top card of your deck. Which is Elemental Hero Avian."

Daniel drew the card - it was indeed Avian. "And?"

"Ahd now…" Verthy's smirk became ruthless. "All cards on your field and in your hand shuffled back into your deck!"

Daniel gasped as all five of his monsters and his remaining set card vanished and his hand flowed back into his deck. But he didn't have time to protest as Dominance lunged forwards and his sword slammed into the duelist's shoulder so hard the Pro crashed to his knees. (DLP: 3100-200)

"_Incredible - so incredible! Despite being hit by a freight train last turn, this beautiful lady is showing us that resilience Germans are so famous for! She's turned this thing around with just one move!" _

"Damn…" Daniel staggered back to his feet, his grin a bit stronger than his shaky legs. "That was a hell of a hit. But...a duel like this, there's nothing better! It's my turn!" His hand flew to his deck. "I draw!"

He ripped the card free and his grin grew. "And it's Hope of Fifth! I shuffle five Elemental Heroes into my deck and since I have no other cards, I draw three new ones!" Avalanche, Necroshade, Alchemax, a Clayman and a Bubbleman all appeared behind him before flowing into his deck as his Duel Disk auto-shuffled them back into their homes.

Drawing his three cards, he held one up. "Pot of Greed! I draw twice!" Drawing again, he slammed it into his disk. "Go Miracle Fusion! I banish Sparkman and the Bubbleman in my graveyard! Fusion Summon Elemental Hero - Absolute Zero!"

Ice exploded out in front of him and then shattered to reveal a caped hero whose white armor covered him from head to toe. (2500/2000)

"Then I discard E-Hero Captain Gold to add Skyscraper from my deck to my hand!" Daniel caught the card his deck spat out and his Duel Disk opened the field slot.

"So you're going to battle my Dominance - " Verthy started as the skyscrapers all erupted around them again...and then sky's colors began to twist, becoming a kaleidoscoping pastel rainbow above them all. "What!?"

"This isn't your normal Skyscraper - the world of Elemental Heroes and Neo-Spacians have collided to result in Neo-Skyscraper! And in this play, my Elemental Heroes have gained the power to Contact Fuse from any location!" Daniel thrust a hand into the air. "I shuffle Avian in the graveyard and the Sparkman and Bubbleman that are banished back into the deck!"

Tri-colored lightning shot down from the sky, resolving into a hero unlike any other. He most resembled Avian but taller and broader. He spread his wings, revealing they were sheets of light and their light glinted off his feather-shaped forearm blades and a pair of blasters dangled from his hips. (2800/2600)

"_I know what those three heroes make, but that's not Tempest! Is it a Digimon? Is it a Neos fusion?" _Cathy said what everyone was thinking. _"Whatever it is, it spells trouble for Verthandi!" _

"This is Elemental Hero Typhoon and I'm activating one of his abilities! I destroy one card on my field and he becomes immune to destruction by card effects until my next turn! And I choose Absolute Zero!" The ice hero shattered, becoming blue light that surrounded Typhoon. "And since Zero went to the graveyard, all monsters you have are destroyed!"

Giant icicles erupted out of the ground, skewering Dominance like his armor was paper. He groaned and blew apart intp pixels, but Verthy stood her ground. "When Dominance is destroyed, I revive three Destiny Heroes! I choose Dreadmaster, Malevolence and Dash Guy!"

Dark flashes of light flared in front her to resolve in the iron masked monstrous man, the roaring demoning and angular robot. "And then Dreadmaster revives two more heroes! Disk Guy and Dominance!"

The disk hero and her fusion reappeared, Verthy already reaching for her deck. "I draw two more cards! And then Dreadmaster's attack becomes equal to the combined attack of all my monsters!" Dreadmaster glowed and bellowed, the cry shaking the field. (0-7700/7700)

"_Incredible! It looks like Daniel's comeback just got halted in its tracks! His new monster can't overpower her monsters and even if he could, Dreadmaster's presence means he can't destroy them!"_

"I activate the other effect of Neo-Skyscraper! When an E-Hero is destroyed, I can summon one with a lower level from my deck! Come out, Burstinatrix!" In a burst of fire, the flame-patterned heroine reappeared alongside his fusion. "Then I set my last two cards and end my turn!" (1200/700)

"I don't know what you thought you'd accomplish by summoning her, but neither she nor Typhoon can beat my heroes! My turn!" Verthy drew for her turn - and then had to use both hands to shield her face as an inferno washed across her field with a brilliant heat rivaling the sun.

When she lowered her hands, she gaped. Her field was bare, Skyscraper was gone and smoldering wafts of ash drifted across the air. "_Was zur holle!?" _

"I activate my trap combo- Elemental Mastery and Elemental Recharge!" Daniel was standing behind his two face cards. "First, Recharge gives me one thousand life points for every E-Hero I have!" (DLP: 200-2200)

He pointed at that second one. "Then Elemental Mastery targets one normal E-Hero on my field and activates one of their technique cards from my deck! And Burstinatrix has Burst Impact! All cards on the field are destroyed and then we both take damage equal to the number of monsters we lost times three hundred!"

Burstinatrix gathered fresh fire in her palms, coalescing it into a massive fireball above her head. "Burstinatrix wasn't destroyed and Typhoon can't die, so my life points are safe! But you lost five monsters! So take fifteen hundred damage!"

Verthy watched as the fireball hurtled towards, her worried expression becoming another calm smile as it shrank until it wasn't even a spark by the time it reached her. "Sorry, but no - thanks to the Decider in my graveyard, I can return him to the hand to negate all the damage I would have taken by that effect!"

She grabbed the card as it fell out of her graveyard, slapping it onto her disk. "And now I'll summon him! Come on, Decider!" Clad in green and grays with a fin-shaped mask on his face, the hero looked more suited to battle underwater than fighting. But he still flexed his muscles and struck a battle pose at the sight of Daniel's monsters. (1600/1000)

"Then I set two cards face-down and attack Burstinatrix with Decider! _Phantom Blow!_" The hero rippled out of sight and then Burstinatrix went flying as he reappeared in front of her with a powerful right straight. She almost smashed into Daniel before vanishing into pixels. (DLP: 2200-1800)

Verthy glanced at her remaining card. "I end my turn and since I have, Decider lets me retrieve another hero from my graveyard!" Dragonguy fell out of her graveyard and she picked it up.

"My move." Daniel drew and then flipped it around. "HERO Flash! I remove H - Heated Heart, R- Righteous Justice and O-Oversoul! This lets me summon Sparkman from the deck!"

"Tch...he must have discarded Righteous Justice with Graceful Charity…" Verthy grit her teeth as the yellow-suited hero appeared in a surge of lightning. "And since he's a normal hero.."

"HERO Flash lets him attack directly! _Static Shockwave!" _Daniel watched in some satisfaction as the hero cracked out energy from his palm that crashed into Verthy and left her twitching. "Typhoon attacks Decider! _Tsunami Slash!_" (VLP: 2100-500)

The fusion hero shot forwards with a flap of his wings, water gathering around his feather blades to transform them into lashing chainsaws. But before he could impact, he flapped his wings to skid to a halt and jumped back to Daniel's field. "What was that?"

"Decider's effect." Verthy smirked. "He can't be attacked by monsters whose level is six or higher and your fusion is eight!"

"Tch - fine! End turn!"

"Draw!" Verthy snapped up the card and then slapped down a card. In a flare of dark fire, Dragonguy reappeared and crouched on his card. "I use his effect! You take seven hundred damage! _Dragon Flames!" _

Daniel grimaced as the black fire crashed over him, shoving him back a step. (DLP: 1800- 1100)

"End turn."

"Draw!" Daniel picked up his card and swore under his breath. "End turn!"

Verthy drew and snapped her hand up to point at him. "Dragonguy! _Dragon Flames!_" Once again, the black flames crashed into her opponent. (DLP: 1100-400)

"_Could this be it? After such a tough tournament and grueling duel, it looks like Daniel's on the ropes! He can't attack either of her monsters! Typhoon can't hurt Decider! And if he attacks Dragonguy, he runs the risk of Verthy revealing a hero to waste away the last of his life points! But if he doesn't do something this turn, her next one will end it!"_

"I'm not out yet, so just watch!" Daniel drew and smirked. "Go Polymerization! I fuse the Sparkman on the field and Avian in my hand to fusion summon Jolt Turbine!"

HIs two monsters faded as feathers swirled on his field and lighting clashed. When the storm died down, it revealed a green-suited Sparkman with large, rigid feathered wings that had whirling fans in them and an energy blaster connected to them via cords. (1900/1700)

"I've never heard of that one…" Verthy eyed the new hero nervously. "And what does he do that you're so confident about?"

"He wins me this duel! Jolt Turbine can negate the effects of cards you control up to the number of heroes I have when he's summoned! I've got two monsters, so your two monsters lose out!" Jolt Turbine fired quick shots that slammed into Verthy's D-Heroes. They both hollered as electricity danced around them and sapped away their colors. "Typhoon attacks Decider! _Tsunami Blade!_"

The fusion charged for a second time, chainsaw water blades spinning to life to slash the D-Hero into three neat pieces. Verthy glanced down at her set cards, then up at the Elemental Hero. "Reveal Mirror Force!"

The prismatic barrier sprang up in front of her monsters, sparks flying as Typhoon's blade ground against it. Then it shot out energy like a shotgun that slammed into Daniel's two fusions...and both of them got right back up with a beat of their wings. "How!?"

"Jolt Turbine gains a counter for each card he negated and can use them to protect heroes from destruction! And since Mirror Force can't stop my attack, battle continues!" Daniel exclaimed as Typhoon flashed through the air towards Decider again.

"One more card, then! I reveal Destiny Again!" Her trap lifted and Dragonguy faded away. But a phantasm of him remained and it aimed one of its gauntlets at Daniel. "This trap banishes one D-Hero on my field and then takes its effect! Then during my next Standby Phase, this trap is destroyed and the hero returns!"

"So between a rock and a hard place, huh? Fine then, I won't back down! A duelist lives in the moment!" Daniel pointed at Decider. "Typhoon's attack continues! _Tsunami Blade!_"

TTTTTTT

"Dammi, what's she thinking, leaving it up to a gamble like that!" Jackie's hands slammed down on the desk in frustration. "The odds of drawing a monster are three-in-one!"

"Worse than that - she's gone through almost fifteen monsters this duel and the average deck only has twenty!" Jessie clenched her fists as they watched the attack surge towards Decider. "But she hasn't got a choice- banishing Decider means she can only block one attack and she won't survive the battle damage from Typhoon, anyway!"

Lero neither agreed nor disagreed. He just sat there, watching Verthy's fingers reach for her cards, feeling everything that had happened in the last few days coalescing into this moment.

TTTTTTT

Verthy pulled the top card from her deck...and flipped it around. "Destiny Hero - Plasma! A monster! _Dragon Flame Boosted!" _

Daniel raised his hand to shield his face and staggered as Dragonguy's phantom unleashed real flames at him. But he was smiling even as his life points ticked down. "Now that….that was a duel!" (DLP: 0)

Yoshito was staring with wide eyes as the embers of the attack wafted across his view, like he was literally watching all his dreams burn away in front of him. And the sharp ding of Daniel's life points hitting zero was like an icy knife straight into his spine. "I...I lost…!"

"_Aaaaahhhhhhh! That was so cool! Aaaaaahhhhh! I can't stop screaming! That duel was incredible, incredible, incredible! Aaaaahhhh!" _Cathy seemed to remember that the cameras were still rolling and she was a professional, and she hastily cleared her throat. "_A spectacular finale between two exceptional duelists, I think everyone will agree!"_

She turned expectantly towards Yoshito, but the young man could only gape. The other four duelists had reactions that ranged from Crypt just shaking his head and laughing silently to himself, Blackwood and Reginald clapping politely and Toppa just jumping in the air, pumping his fists and whooping in joy. . Seeing that she was getting nothing from them, Cathy motioned for the cameras to pan back to the field, where Verthy and Daniel were shaking hands.

"That was a blast. I haven't had a duel that intense since I made number five!" Daneil was shaking Verthy's hand vigorously, his grin that of someone who had achieved satisfaction through hard work. "I don't know how you got that deck, but I have to say if you keep playing it like that, then the Destiny Heroes are in good hands!"

"High praise from some such an expert Hero duelists such as yourself; I'm flattered." Verthy said with a smile of her own. "I would love a rematch again. Perhaps when the stakes are not so high or...improper."

"You got yourself a deal."

A slow firm set of claps broke the touching scene.

"Thank you duelists. That was most enjoyable," Sumire smiled at them, the epitome of a gracious host, raising her voice so that the rest of the group could hear. "I thank all of our competitors today, for their time, and for bringing their best game to my home. I don't think this island has seen such a spectacle since the last Duelist Kingdom tournament."

All of Yoshito's duelists preened under such high praise - it wasn't every day you got compared to true greatness after all. Their employer for his part, was getting over his shock, his face growing slowly redder as he realised that any emotions would have to be contained until the cameras went away.

His smile came back into place and he gave Sumire a sweeping bow. "I accept my defeat in this tournament, Mrs. Pegasus. I can feel no shame or frustration at my loss, only relief that this terrible mess is now settled for good. On behalf of Ironwrought Industries and the Decrall family, I offer my sincerest apologies for all of this and wish you and your new husband good fortune and great health now and in the future."

Sumire regarded him and her lips curled downwards in a disapproving sneer. "I do not accept your good wishes or your apology." Cathy gasped audible and Yoshito started, but she continued on regardless. "This 'terrible mess' was nothing more than the result of your avarice and lusts, Yoshito Decrall. Instead of coming to my family directly and the Pegasus family in an attempt to resolve these contracts in a humane and safe manner, you did everything to exploit them for your sole benefit."

She rose to her feet even as Jackie, Kaede, Jessie and Rosemary all slipped into the room so that they flanked the throne. "Bellerophon and I relied upon our friends and their conviction has trumped your corporate greed and selfishness here today. I hope that you will learn to conduct yourself with more dignity and grace than you have shown the world today."

Descending the steps in a measure of care, she raised her voice. "As my first official act as Sumire Pegasus, I declare the Bride Tournament over with my family victorious! To all those who are watching the world over, I thank you for your support and wishes and promise that with my ascension, Duel Monsters will enter a new era that will endure for another fifty years!"

Her gaze flicked over to Cathy, who quickly manipulated the controls on her mic and her drones camera shutters all closed and their pick-up mics folded back into their bodies. Once that was done, Sumire addressed her directly. "I am sure you wish to interview me and all the participants - that can be done in the afternoon. As it is almost lunchtime, I invite all present to a victory lunch in the main dining room. Bellerophon and I will make ourselves known later - I must go share the good news with my husband."

Plato slid by her, gesturing for everyone's attention. "If you will all follow me this way, please. The Pegasus family is happy to treat its guests to the finest food in the hemisphere."

Sumire watched the crowd exit, Cathy going last as her drones followed her about like a trail of ducklings. The duelists were all chatting and talking amongst themselves, but Yoshito was clearly sulking and she did not miss the harsh, bitter look he gave her before leaving himself.

"He's suffered a crushing blow, but it wasn't lethal." There were footsteps timed with a clunking noise behind her. "Yoshito is going to cause problems in the future."

"If he does, we will defeat them as we did today." Sumire turned, watching as Lero stepped out from behind the throne like the girls had. Her expression furrowed as she saw what he had with him. "A cane?"

"Dr. Annalissa's orders. If I'm up and about, I have to take stress off my body." Lero said as he descended to her level. He was wearing dress clothes and made a point of fluttering the shoulder cape. "And besides, I think I look rather dashing at the moment."

"Only a Pegasus would consider a shoulder cape a necessary part of formal dress," Sumire shook her head, with a smile.

"This coming from the woman whose family are born wrapped in their own custom-designed trenchcoats?"

"Touche." Sumire studied him. "How are you feeling?"

"I thought I'd feel relieved, but…" Lero sat down on the dias, tapping his cane on the floor absently. "I'm not. This whole tournament was only the tip of the iceberg. The Board is still in power and I can't punish them for setting this up, for one thing."

"That is because I will punish them." Sumire smiled a bit as he glanced up at her. "I2's rules state only a Pegasus can be in charge. And your father's will was written that his eldest child inherits control of the company. I am married to you and today is my birthday. I am twenty-one today."

"But that means - " Lero's eyes widened in surprise, then he ground a face into his palm. "Christ, I can't believe I forgot today was your birthday! I didn't even get you anything!"

"We had more important things to concern ourselves with - it is only another day of the year, otherwise." Sumire said with a huff. "For now, we should concern ourselves with the future. Victory here was only the first step."

"Mmm…" Lero's gaze sharpened between his fingers and his hand dropped, his expression uncharisterically serious. "You got that feeling, too. That Yoshito's move today was the result of someone ordering him to do it, against his best interests."

"Yes. Someone is pulling his strings. This whole Bride Tournament was a distraction for us and the world. To what end, I am not certain….but…" Sumire's expression sharpened. "I will not tolerate our lives being treated as such an expendable commodity for someone else's amusement! I am going to find the person behind this scheming and show them just what it means to cross me!"

Lero reigned in his smile - Sumire looked so much like her father, it was uncanny. But such a comment would have probably earned him a glare. Instead, he focused on something else. " 'Our' lives?"

"Yes, our lives." For the first time, something approaching uncertainty entered Sumire's voice. "In spite of all of Yoshito's best efforts to make the last few days a living hell, I find I quite enjoy being married to you, Bellerophon. If you are happy-" She broke off as he nodded in an almost puppy-like fashion. "-then I would not be...adverse to continuing in this way."

"I am very happy. I mean, you single-handedly saved my company and my game from the world's worst PR disaster. With such a competent, intelligent woman wanting me for her husband, how could I ever refuse?" Lero smiled as he stood, leaning on his cane as she made a flustered noise and glanced away. "Speaking of our marriage, we should crash the party. I'm sure Cathy Cathy is just dying to interview us about this mess and everything. And we should probably make sure one of the girls doesn't kill Yoshito."

"Yes." Sumire agreed as they started for the hallway. "That is because death is too good for him. I am going to enjoy watching his company get ripped to shreds and his personal life crash to ruins around him. I may even set fire to the pieces, just to savor his despair."

"...okay, I'm going to have to inform you that as a Pegasus, getting cathartic revenge is something we don't do."

Sumire snorted. "Then you are sorely missing out in life, Bellerophon. As Conan once said, 'what is best in life is to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of their women.'"

Lero laughed and shook his head. "I'd argue against taking life lessons from a fictional character, but my lessons on manners came from the Funny Bunny cartoons…"

"Ah, you see? I will fit right into this family."

TTTTTT

Nitemare wanted so badly for 'soon' to be happening. Because at the moment of 'soon' was its moment of revenge, of quieting the irritating voices upon it and returning to undisturbed sleep.

But that would not happen yet. Just as it could feel the irritants scuttling on its surface, it could feel that it was not right for 'soon to be yet. As it had grown in awareness and cognizance, it had grown to grasp there more disturbances than just the beings who inhabited it. They had brought with them other things - things that it knew to recognize as 'magic.'.

Things like Nitemare, but not Nitemare. Things that were dangerous to it because they could not become part of it and be subsumed into Nitemare.

Which meant they had to be destroyed.

But increased knowledge came with increased wariness to the unknown. These magic things were not alive as Nitemare was, it knew, but they did have life. And if they were like Nitemare, they'd react poorly to something trying to irritate them. It may even be possible that the irritants Nitemare wanted to subsume would use these magical things against it.

So they would be dealt with first, these magical things. And it would need power to do so. Power and mobility. As the souls it had peeled off itself to serve as its agents watched, the whirling mass of darkness, pain and souls began to gather itself into its identity.

Nitemare was power. Nitemare was terror. Nitemare was cold. And its body had to reflect such truths about itself.

Out of the cold void of itself, it crafted bleak bones. The darkness became flames to animate itself, swirling and twining across the towering body in thin ribbons. The scraps of the souls it had crushed together became a patchwork cape that would protect it from the other magics. And the endless wails of pain, fear and rage that were the ever-firing neurons of its mind became the consuming lights of its eyes.

Task completed, Nitemare began to plod forwards. Towards the source of the magics. In a place it's collective knowledge identified as a 'Vault'.

TTTTTT

_A/N: __Lero's Angels have claimed victory in the Bride Tournament, but this rising star of hope is about to be blotted by the terror of absolute darkness! In the midst of celebrating, Nitemare strikes!_

_In other news, I love the GX era and its insane use of one-off, broken cards that we never see or hear from again because no one wanted to be creative with them. That in mind, watch as Verthy makes Destiny Heroes/Drawber the new meta! :P  
_  
Created Cards

_Daniel: _

Elemental Hero - Alchemax  
LIGHT  
6 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
2200/2200  
Effect: Elemental Hero Sparkman + Elemental Hero Bubbleman.  
Once per turn, you can select one Equip Spell Card that refers to 'Elemental Hero' in its name and equip to an appropriate monster you control. When this card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, you can add one Equip Spell card from your Deck to your Hand.

Elemental Hero - Avalanche  
EARTH  
6 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
1000/2000  
Effect: Elemental Hero Clayman + Elemental Hero Avian  
When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can switch the battle positions of all face-up monsters whose DEF is equal or less than this card's ATK. Then this card gains 800 ATK for each monster whose position was changed.

Elemental Hero - Jolt Turbine  
LIGHT  
6 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
1900/1700  
Effect: Elemental Hero Avian + Elemental Hero Sparkman  
When this card is Fusion Summoned, you can select a number of cards on the field equal to the number of 'Elemental Heroes' on the field. Negate their effects, then place one 'Jolt Counter' on this card for each card negated by this effect. If 'Elemental Hero' monster(s) would be destroyed by a card effect, you can remove one Jolt Counter from this card for each monster instead.

Elemental Hero - Typhoon  
LIGHT  
8 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
2800/2600  
Effect: Elemental Hero Avian + Elemental Hero Sparkman + Elemental Hero Bubbleman  
Once per turn you can destroy one card you control. THen activate one of the following effects:  
1: Select one face-up monster on your field. Until your next Standby Phase, the selected monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect.  
2: Double the ATK OR DEF of a face-up Elemental Hero you control until the End Phase.

Hero Team Jet  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Activate only when you control a level six or higher Elemental Hero monster. Special Summon any two of 'Elemental Hero Avian', 'Elemental Hero Sparkman', 'ELemental Hero Burstinatrix', or 'Elemental Hero Clayman'. (You cannot summon two of the same monster.) The monsters summoned by this effect cannot be Tributed for a Tribute Summon or used as Synchro or Xyz Material. You may only activate one 'Hero Team Jet' per turn.

Image: Avian, Clayman, Bubbleman and Burstinatrix all balanced on the wings of a sleek fighter jet zooming towards a burning building, Sparkman at the controls.

Boulder Tank  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Equip only to an 'Elemental Hero' monster. Increase the ATK of the equipped monster by 800. Once per turn, the first time the equipped monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, it is not. When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, Special Summon one 'Elemental Hero Clayman' from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard.

Image: A giant boulder carved like a tank with Clayman at the wheel.

Bubble Blaster  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Equip only to an 'Elemental Hero' monster. When the equipped monster battles, you take no damage. If this face-up card is sent from the field to the graveyard, draw 1 card. When this card is sent to the field to the graveyard, Special Summon one 'Elemental Hero Bubbleman' from your Hand, Deck or Graveyard.

Image: Bubbleman holding a massive bazooka, bracing himself to fire at an unseen target.

Heroic Pose  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Draw 1 face-up card for each 'Elemental Hero' you control. You may only activate one 'Heroic Pose' per turn.

Image: Avian, Clayman, Sparkman, Bubbleman and Burstinatrix all in Justice League-style poses with the silhouette of Elemental Hero - Electrum in the background.

Neo-Skyscraper  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: This card is always treated as 'Skyscraper'. Once per turn, you can shuffle the Fusion Material Monsters specifically listed on an 'Elemental Hero' Fusion Monster from your Field, Graveyard or that are Banished into your Deck; Fusion Summon that monster. Once per turn, if an 'Elemental Hero' monster you control is destroyed by a card effect, you can Special Summon one 'Elemental Hero' monster with a lower level than the destroyed monster's from your Deck.

Image: Skyscraper with futuristic buildings and the colorful sky of Neo-Space above it.

Stand Down  
Quick-play Spell Card  
Effect: Switch all face-up Warrior-type monsters you control to defense position.

Elemental Mastery  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: Select one face-up 'Elemental Hero Avian', 'Elemental Hero Burstinatrix', 'Elemental Hero Sparkman' or 'Elemental Hero Clayman' on your side of the field. Then send one Normal Spell Card that has the name of the selected card in its text from your Deck to the Graveyard. This card's effect becomes the effect of the sent card's. You may only activate the effect of 'Elemental Master' once per turn.

Image: Burstinatrix unleashing a wave of five that is burning away a pair of Megarock Dragons.

Verthandi:

Destiny Hero - Dragonguy  
DARK  
3 stars  
Warrior/Effect  
700/1400  
Effect: Once per turn, you can inflict 700 damage to your opponent's life points. If this card is targeted for an attack, excavate the top card of your deck. If it is a 'Destiny Hero' monster, negate the attack and inflict damage to your opponent's life points equal to the revealed monster's level x200. If it is a Spell or Trap, send the revealed card to the graveyard.

Destiny Hero - Dynamiteguy  
DARK  
6 stars  
Warrior/Effect  
2000/1000  
Effect: When this card is Tribute Summoned, you can send the top three cards of your Deck to the Graveyard. For each 'Destiny Hero' monster discarded this way, you can sent one card on the field to the graveyard. Then, select one face-up 'Destiny Hero' you control and increase the selected monster's ATK by 600 for each card sent to the graveyard by this effect.

Destiny Hero - Malevolence  
DARK  
6 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
2400/2400  
Effect: Destiny Hero - Malicious + Destiny Hero - Malicious + Destiny Hero - Malicious

If there are two banished 'Destiny Hero - Malicious', you may banish a 'Destiny Hero - Malicious' you control; Special Summon this card. (This Special Summon is treated as Fusion Summon.) If this card is in your graveyard, you can shuffle this card into your Extra Deck; Shuffle all banished 'Destiny Hero - Malicious' into your Deck.

Elemental Hero - Fate Shine  
DARK  
6 stars  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
2200/2200  
Effect: One 'Elemental Hero' monster + One 'Destiny Hero' monster.  
When this card is Summoned, you may set one 'D-Time' from your Deck to your Field; it may be activated this turn. If this card is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, Special Summon one level four or lower 'Destiny Hero' monster from your Deck.

Destiny Again  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: Banish one 'Destiny Hero' monster you control to activate this card. This card's effect becomes the banished monster's effect. During your next Standby Phase, destroy this card and then Special Summon the monster banished by this card's effect.

Image: Destiny Hero - Doom Lord standing atop the spire of Clock Tower Prison and looming over some classic escaped prisoners in the black/white striped suits.


	14. The Midnight Dawn

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N__: As always, apologies for this chapter's lateness. And as always as it should be, many thanks to my wife, Mei1105 who devoted much time, care and love to helping me write this chapter and keeping me from losing my fluffy little mind. Help me show her appreciation and go leave her story 'Something Borrowed' a review!_

Chapter 14: The Midnight Noon

Sumire was beginning to think Plato was more than the most capable manservant ever, he was downright magical.

How else could he have got this lavish buffet prepared for all their guests in such a short time? He had been running around assisting all of Lero's duelists during the tournament and been at her side for the entirety of Verthandi's duel. Yet scarcely twenty minutes after that, the main dining hall was laid out with food and decorations in the form of some choice Pegasus art pieces and flowers as if it'd all been planned for weeks.

And those twenty minutes were feeling like twenty years ago if the room's atmosphere was any indication. Despite the small number of people, it was animated and lively. The duelists from both sides were talking, eating and laughing with each other like they were old friends. They hadn't even met each other until a few hours ago and they'd spent the entire morning at each other's throats, but now it was water under the bridge.

_I always scoffed when Uncle Mokuba talked about the bonds you formed as a duelist, _she reflected idly, her eyes skimming the crowd. _Childish nonsense meant as a marketing ploy. It's a business - no different from any other competition. What is it about this game that makes people instantly like each other?_

She tore her gaze away. Maybe _that_ was the real reason she didn't play...

Something blunt pressed into her ankle - the tip of Lero's cane and she snapped out of her thoughts, realizing that Cathy was staring at her expectantly. "I apologize - could you repeat the question?"

Cathy nodded. "Quite alright. I was asking how long you had been involved in your family's business - I know all you Kaiba's like to start young!"

It was hard not to flinch at the reference to her father, but Sumire managed to control it. She was already learning that interviews were mostly an endurance test. "I have been involved in KaibaCorp's Research and Development since I was fourteen and able to apprentice there."

"Incredible! And it was there that you made it your mission to recreate the Bleeding Edge Technology? Engineers all over the world are in awe of that achievement - how on earth did you manage it?"

Sumire wondered if there was a quota of impossible questions that the woman had to fulfil - how on earth did you explain how you invented something? It was like trying to explain how you kept your balance while you walked. Catching Lero's eye, she decided to go for honesty. "I think three months with no sleep and a diet of coffee helped."

This seemed to be the right answer, for Cathy laughed. "Ah, that age old formula! I see. Of course I suppose it helps when you clearly inherited your father's talents."

_I'd rather have my mother's talents, thank you. _Sumire found herself thinking. Her mother's ability to magically manipulate and deflect attention would be most welcome about now.

"And so once you had the technology, you presented it to Bellerophon to grab his attention - us single ladies over the world should take note!" the presenter turned to wink at the camera. "Technology works better on a first date than a drink! Bellerophon what did you think when you were suddenly presented with the holy grail of the Duel Monster world?"

"I was absolutely floored. It revolutionizes the game in so many ways and the timing was just perfect for the revelation of my new game mechanics. Well, barring recent events, of course." Lero said with just the right touch of amusement that left Cathy nodding along. "The only thing more impressive than the technology was the mind behind it. Sumire was not only able to get it working, but improve on something that's baffled the minds of the world's tech geniuses for twenty years."

Sumire wanted to deflect the compliment - her insides were squirming from it - but she wondered if it would be rude to do so on television, so she settled for smiling uncomfortably at the floor.

"You must have felt relieved," Cathy said, her eyes flicking to the cane, clearly desperate to puzzle out just what had incapacitated Lero so much that he'd had to remain absent for the entire day. "Knowing that the tournament was in capable hands."

"More capable than mine," Lero adjusted his stance - he was clearly perfectly aware of Cathy's gaze. "Sumire was the one who informed me about the existence of the marriage contracts. From the start, I knew this was her show. A person is not a possession and the set of bad circumstances that lead to this mess were through no fault of her own. Even before the 'Bride Tournament' was a thing, I was willing to follow her lead on this. And sometimes, that just means making sure everyone remembers its about her, not me or Duel Monsters."

"But Industrial Illusions approved this tournament and debuted the new Synchro and Xyz Summoning mechanics here. Wouldn't that have had to go through you as CEO and owner?"

Lero's face grew a bit irritated. "Unfortunately not. I turn twenty-one in a week, but until then the company is held in trust by the Board of Directors. It was they who approved the Bride Tournament."

"They are a pack of jackals attempting to exploit the situation solely for their own profit and ends." Sumire said icily. "But as I am twenty-one today and now CEO of I2, they will be...dealt with."

Cathy blinked at the amount of frost in the Egyptian woman's tone. "Oh well, then…happy birthday!" she improvised with a certain forced glee. "Most people celebrate their twenty first birthdays by getting drunk, and you celebrated with a tournament! I can see you and Bellerophon make a good match - that's the sort of style we like to see from a Pegasus!"

Sumire could not help but notice that it was Lero's turn to look away uncomfortably. That reputation had come from his father, not from him, and she realised how acutely he was missing him. Such a similar reaction from them both when their respective father's were mentioned, and yet for wildly different reasons. _I should probably call my mother when we're done here…_

"Speaking of style," Lero's smile was brave and deliberate. "I feel like we're wasting a good party - please don't feel you need to work all night. You've done a great job covering the tournament all day long. Take some time to eat and rest. You're our guest just as much as the duelists."

The offer made Cathy Cathy light up like one of her spotlight drones, and she quickly closed the interview down, packing her two camera-bots away in a corner of the room with the other four before heading over to the bar. Sumire didn't like her odds of lasting long - the woman barely looked a hundred pounds.

Sumire released a breath that she felt she had been holding for the last twelve hours. But she knew she wasn't done. There were guests to entertain. Questions to dodge. And somewhere in this room, Yoshito was still lurking and licking his wounds - she was not looking forward to a confrontation with him, especially now that he had no reason to behave for the cameras…

She felt Lero nudge her gently in the side. In spite of the easy-going smile, there was a tightness to his face that said it all - he was feeling exactly the same way. "Come on. Let's escape for five minutes before Cathy Cathy starts asking louder questions…"

The fact that he had clocked the potential for drunken shenanigans too eased all the tension in Sumire's head like nothing else, and she felt her own smile appear as she followed him. _Maybe this will work after all..._

TTTTTT

"I didn't take you for a tea drinker, Toppa." Rosemary commented as she watched the rapping duelist pour hot water into their cups with a meticulous care so unlike his wild movements.

"Aww, Gran-Gran loved the stuff. I used ta think it was nothing but hot leaf juice and tasted like wet dog. Till she caught me doing chew once. She said if I could tolerate that 'wacky tabaccy' in my mouth, I could do tea." He made a face as he set the kettle down. "The old nag made me try every different kind of tea she had in the house for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next week."

Rosemary smiled. "While that does sound amusing, I don't think I see the connection."

"She caught me because I was dumb punk and thought I'd be getting back at her by using her old fashioned tea kettle for my spits. The same one she made all my tea in." Toppa laughed sheepishly as Rosemary giggled. "By the end of it, I was totes over the taste of 'baccy and begging her for a tea strong enough to hide that gunk."

He fished around his pants pocket and pulled out a tobacco tin. But the name had been scratched out and painted over with 'Gran-Gran's Gumption Guzzle Tea'. "Gran-Gran whipped this up and it's been my favorite ever since."

"I - oh, are you offering to share?" Seeing him nod as he popped open the lid, she beamed. "That's very nice of you - I'd be happy to try some."

"Word a warning, Gran-Gran's stuff is strong like Donkey Kong." Toppa said as he dunked bags into the waiting cups. "I usually take a cup before I drop a few hours in the studio."

"I'm British - tea is in my veins," Rosemary assured, leaning over to smell as the leaves began to diffuse into the water. "Interesting that you have one before recording - I always have a cup before I go on the runway to steady my nerves."

"It's tea, it's a moment of peace and tranquility in a cup." Toppa explained and smiled when Rosemary nodded. "See, you get it. Now - just saying - you need to sip this stuff. Trying to gulp it down is going to do more than burn your tongue, lemme tell you."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Why do you think I talk so fast?"

TTTTTTT

"Wait, Duel Monsters is a 'world memory'?" Jackie looked up from her food.

"Yes. Just like stories of a great flood that wipes out the population of the world save for a select few. Many cultures across the globe have one and most of them never came anywhere near each other." Blackwood explained. "In my research, I've found many places where carvings, drawings or stories of things very similar to the Duel Monsters we know today existed alongside humanity."

"That's not nothing new. Everyone's read Pegasus' biography and how he traveled the globe for inspiration." Jackie pointed out. "And at this point, the Valley of the Kings might as well be called 'Valley of the Card Games'."

"I am speaking more to the idea that the conflicts that seem to center around Duel Monsters happen with startling regularity. They repeat themselves - the Monster Invasion is a good example. Monsters attack the planet and then weeks later, the Aurora Borealis covers the globe for a single night a gigantic serpent visible within it." Blackwood said. "There are records of similar events happening thousands years ago, recorded by cultures who had no contact with one another."

Jackie mulled that over. "That doesn't mean too much - easy enough to say that Duel Monsters attacked, left or were driven off and then the leftovers of that attack were incorporated into ancient cultures and led to the things Pegasus found in Egypt and India and everything."

"But that does not explain the similarities between cultural use of Duel Monsters related things. The Egyptians played dark games for power and wealth, but so did the ancient civilizations of Central America, India, even some indicators it happened in Europe. These are the same civilizations where one would worship the sun as a benevolent deity of light and another would sacrifice human hearts to ensure it rose the next day." Blackwood pressed. "Humans grow and adapt in different wants to the same stimulus, yet Duel Monsters pervades culture with a frightening amount of uniformity."

Jackie stared at him for a long moment, then said with flat incredulousness. "...and you think aliens did it."

"Because aliens are a game-breaker in this theory…"

TTTTTT

"So you're forty?" Jessie asked in between bites of her chicken wings. "Getting the salt-and-salsa look early, huh?

Daniel touched the grey-flecked sideburns of his red hair with a chuckle. "I'll have to tell my wife that one - she'll love it. And I'd like to say it's just the stresses of the Pro League and parenting, but no, this from some stuff I've been through."

"Magical stuff?" Jessie pointed at him with a chicken wing as the older man started. "C'mon, you know who my parents are. And read Yugi's biography. You don't think I can't tell when someone's been around something mystical? With my luck, I think they're the _only _people I know."

"Yeah, guess so," Daniel rubbed at the back of his head. "Didn't think you'd be interested in it. Or believe me. Most people don't. Or try not to, anyway."

"That's something I don't get about your generation - you _all_ lived through shit like the monsters attacking the planet all at once and being swallowed up by magical darkness for the umpteenth time! And yet some of you are just like 'nope, didn't happen! Nothing magical here! Ever'!" Now the chicken wing was a baton to emphasize the blonde's frustration. "Trust me, what have you been through that's somehow more unbelievable than that?"

"Well, it all started when I was a teenager and learned the soul of my wolf demon ancestor was reincarnated inside me. And we had to go defeat the reincarnation of his evil master who was big on the whole 'torture' thing…"

TTTTTTT

"This is ingenious." Sumire's noise of satisfied delight was surprisingly posh and hearing it made Plato beam at the tacit approval. "And most appreciated."

"It's one of the littles tricks Dad insisted we use. If we're hosting something that involves food, always eat well beforehand so you can focus on conversation and being a good host. And if it's sprung on us like this lunch celebration, eat anyway and arrive fashionably late. 'Hunger is a poor excuse for bad manners, Lero, my boy.'." Lero laughed as he mimicked his father's tone and waved his cane at the spread of sandwich fixings Plato had put out for them. "And neither of us had time for breakfast."

"Thank you, Plato." Sumire began to create herself a sandwich, grabbing bread, mustard, mayo and barbecue sauce before looking up at Lero watching her. "Are you not going to eat? Your morning was just as stressful as mine was."

"I ate before we came to get you. We're hosting in a pair, so as long as one of us on the floor, it shouldn't be too much of a problem." Lero said. "I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable and settled. And take your time eating and decompress a bit. I know that interview wasn't fun."

"It was not. And your concern is appreciated. Thank you."

Lero blinked at her short response and how she dove back into creating herself a sandwich. He caught Plato's eye and they both smiled a bit. _It's going to be interesting to be married to someone so blunt, to say the least._

Wheeling about, he made to leave the room before pausing in the mirror to check his appearance - another habit his father had drilled into him. Hair was smooth, ascot was symmetrical, every button in the right hole and no trace of food on his face -

"Lero! Boss! Hey! Boss!"

The door banged open and Lero found himself staring at the ceiling. _There is, however, a Tesla on my chest._

He rolled his assistant director off him and gratefully accepted Plato's hand to help him stand. The manservant was scowling and even Telsa's boundless energy seemed to evaporate under the disapproval in his tone. "Tesla, the young master is injured. As his assistant, it would behove you to _assist _him, not add further pains to his problems."

"Yessir," Tesla said with her head hung, then lifted it, blinking. "What - when did you get hurt?"

"I dueled Panik, remember?"

"Oh. Just now?" Tesla blinked again. "I mean, the system did mention heavy server activity today. Did he get into the Vault?"

"No and no. There was heavy server activity because the Bride Tournament happened today. It just finished."

"Oh." Tesla blinked again, cocking her head. "Is that why there's so many people here and a really ugly ass jet parked outside?"

Lero sighed in a long-suffering, amused way. "Tesla, do you know what day it is?"

"...one that ends with 'y'?"

Lero just snorted and dusted himself off. "Okay, we need to have another talk about your work habits. Later, though, I have to go make an appearance. What's so urgent you came barreling in here?"

"Oh yeah!" Brightening, Tesla reached into her labcoat and pulled out a square box that was locked with a fingerprint scanner. "That new deck you came up with was dropped off with the mail today!"

Sumire looked up from her sandwich, which was now a foot tall. "There was mail today?"

"The electronic kind. I have a program set-up to flag and auto-print anything that's important. I was busy building a house of holographic cards and when I looked up, the card printer was on. These babies came out hot and fresh half an hour ago." Tesla held out the box to Lero.

"Tesla, it's not far to your lab. You didn't have to put them in a security box for that trip." Lero said as he took the box.

"There are the ones you wanted for your dad, boss. So they're important." Tesla nodded at her logic. "So they go in the box."

"They're the…" Lero looked up at her in surprise, then back down at the box and suddenly, it felt more precious and a lot heavier than gold. "Thank you, Tesla. That was very thoughtful of you."

"I suspect you'll want to present it to your father right away." Plato put a hand on his charge's shoulder.

"No, it can wait." Lero was holding the box out to him. "I have guests-"

"Bellerophon." Sumire said firmly without looking away from where she was layering her meats in a particular order. "You need to decompress as well. And some privacy. Go give your gift to your father this instant."

Lero frowned at her, but the tone really didn't broker any argument. _Blunt was underselling her, really. _"Plato-"

"I will entertain our guests." Plato told him. "We have some Synchros and Xyz to offer as prizes for a rousing game of Duel Monsters Trivia. Tesla, since you've emerged from your den, I could use your help making it...flashy."

Tesla saluted him. Though it was ruined by the fact that she'd somehow snuck over to the food table and had a few slices of lettuce dangling from her mouth.

"Thank you." Lero felt a lump in his throat and swallowed, heading for the door again. "I won't be long."

"Take all the time you need, sir."

TTTTTTT

Up in the tower that contained the Vault, shadows began to seep through the brickwork. It dripped down like ink, puddling on the floor. It did not, however, get absorbed into the carpeting and simply flowed its way towards the massive Vault door.

When it was large enough, the puddle of shadow fountained upwards and when it cleared, Nitemare and his servants stood in the once empty space.

"It is too secure, Master." Panik said after a moment of silence. "We cannot destroy it. And it will draw attention."

Nitemare did not bother to respond - he did not need to, for the disapproval Panik felt through their link left the big man shirking back. The skeleton tromped forwards, silent as the grave and touched the metal.

Behind it, Nitemare could feel the pulse of the magic gathered there. Many were some kind of object, little nuggets of hard existence that Nitemare's essence could not erode like a river. But some reacted to the probe, lashing out with tendrils of power. They were also small, compared to Nightmare, but they agitated the being in their own way. Sharks endlessly swimming through Nitemare's being, constantly moving, constantly hungry.

Constantly angry at their imprisonment.

Nitemare liked the idea of using these new presences to assist in what it wanted all of a sudden. They weren't truly bothersome, not really and even if they were - well, even sharks can drown if they're caught in an undertow.

It reached again and when the presences reached back, he made them an offer that could be expressed without words

_Serve or perish._

They fought back, at least for a few moments. But he drew tight the currents of his being around them as a pointed reminder that predators they may be, they swam in Nitemare's ocean.

They thrashed in defiance, he squeezed in command and they yielded.

Good.

Nitemare reached a third time and using the presences as a guide, he and his servants were no longer outside the Vault. They were in it.

The artifacts were on pedestals and housed in glass cases. A glittering pyramid of blue with a red gemstone in one face. Seven small trinkets with golden eyes resting on a pillow. Several marbles of teal under several layers of glass and locks.

And cards. They were all sealed individually in a row along the back. Nitemare watched as his servants approached them. They were all blank, their surfaces having an oily shimmer of raw negative power barely contained there. He did not fully understand what they were, only that were alive and angry at being imprisoned.

Something Nitemare understood well enough.

But his servants all reached for them, hands phasing through the glass and as they grabbed the cards, images began to take shape. Then text and stats and he could feel his servant's growing satisfaction as they pulled the cards free. They were a weapon, an edge in the coming battle and that, too, Nitemare could understand.

They would prove very useful indeed, these Numbers.

TTTTTTT

Lero wasn't surprised to find Dr. Annalissa in his father's room - she was there as his long-term physician, after all. Though he was surprised to see her wearing one of the Bleeding Edge headsets. "You finally going to take up Duel Monsters, doc?"

"Not likely, no. My patients are so demanding, after all." She said with a smile. "What I'm doing is hoping to use the Bleeding Edge technology to get a better look into your father's brain."

Lero cocked his head and then glanced over to his father. Fitted into place on the man's temples were a cobbled together headset from some of Sumire's rebuilt disks that was blinking with a few random lights. "All you're going to find is Funny Bunny, Duel Monsters and a closet full of the same colored-suit."

"If I do, I'll consider it a breakthrough." Annalissa pointed to a new monitor she'd set up that was displaying a top-down image of a brain. "The Bleeding Edge uses a neural link and a connection to the cerebral nerves to function, reading memories to create data and generate the holograms. Sumire hasn't been able to get Kaiba's personal model to work yet, but what she has unlocked is enough for this. That kind of information from the brain is unheard of in the medical field, but given how it functions directly off of brain activity…"

"It may be possible to eventually use the technology to communicate with a comatose person or give them access to the outside world again." Lero said quietly as Annalissa nodded.

"That dream is a long way off, though. But at this point in time, we can use it to map the brain in far more detail than we ever could before. Perhaps even learn what's keeping a comatose patient's brain isolated from the rest of their body…" she paused and then shook her head sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Lero. I don't mean to get your hopes up."

"You're not. I admit I hadn't considered the possibility of the Bleeding Edge being used like this, but I know my dad would be happy to contribute advancing medical research like this. If not for himself, then for others." Lero reassured her with a smile. "Does this require your constant attention, Annalissa? I'd like a moment alone with my dad."

"I don't need to be present, no. Please, go ahead." The doctor quickly made herself scarce and Lero parked himself in his usual chair by the bed.

"Hey Dad. Sorry it's been a few days...you probably thought I was still mad at you for the whole marriage contract thing. I wasn't...well, I still am a little bit...but that's not why I wasn't here…"

Once he started he felt everything spilling out fluidly - all of his anxieties, his fears, his runaway thoughts all poured from his mouth and into his father's willing but utterly uncomprehending ears. He stumbled and stuttered over his panic attack, and his own ears went hot as he skipped over the details of how Jackie had comforted him - there were some things his father never needed to know, after all.

"...so now everyone's just decompressing. Swapping stories. Letting Cathy Cathy interview them. Sumire's being a good host...she doesn't really like the spotlight, but she handles it so well. I think you'd like her, Dad. You'd probably say she reminds you of Ishizu - she has that...regal look, like she could run rings around the most inbred of royalty."

He felt a smile creep onto his face. "I think I like that about her. She tries so hard. You should have seen her on her first night here - holding conversation with Plato, that whole quiz we did...she was determined to make this thing work. And then today, right before the final duel, she laid that smackdown on Yoshito like she didn't even care - she wanted this tournament over and she was going to make sure everyone knew where she stood." He shuffled awkwardly in his seat. "If this is how she's handled the last week...well, I'm really looking forward to seeing what else she can do in this marriage…"

He paused, frowning. "...not that this means I don't still think this was the worst idea since the Trump Presidency. Seriously Dad, you pull a stunt like this marriage contract business again and I'm erasing all seven seasons of Funny Bunny from the DVR. I don't care that it's no longer being broadcast!"

It was only a half-serious threat - his father had Funny Bunny on DVD, but the ones on the DVR were remastered episodes and a proper series finale. Recent as they were, there wasn't any way to get them. But had his father had the capability to respond, Lero knew he'd take it with all the seriousness it deserved.

But he only got the beeping of machines in response and the box in his lap reminded him it was his turn to be serious. "I know I told you about the changes to the game and they've gone over well. And while I was designing them, I remember you telling me how your Toon Cards were getting worn out and people started anticipating them, too…"

His finger rapped on the box as he gathered his thoughts. "I...made you a new deck, Dad. They're not Toons, but they're your kind of thing. Silly, fun, flashy. And have that touch of class, too. They're not too complicated and don't use the new summoning techniques. Yet, anyway. I thought, since the game was changing, it was time for a fresh start…"

Lero shoved the box on the nightstand, suddenly unable to look at it or his father. "I hope you wake up...so we can play again, Dad. I…." His fingers clutched at the cane until he felt the metal dig into his palms. "I really, really miss that…"

Still the machines beeped and sighed in response, and Lero fought down the lump that was forming in his throat. Now more than ever he just wanted his father awake. To reply. To hold the cards. To meet Sumire. To celebrate with them...but the universe was out of rewards for him today, so he just shook his head, and got carefully back to his feet.

"I'd better go...you raised me to be a good host, and I can't let Sumire manage the crowd on her own. She's already swore personal ruin on Yoshito and the board of directors...if Cathy Cathy asks her one more time about her Dad she'll probably skip the personal ruin and just stab the woman with a serving spoon…"

Gently he reached to squeeze his father's hand, before turning and striding from the room, feet hitting the carpet hard, desperate to stomp out the ball of sadness twisting away in his throat.

TTTTTTT

Sumire had politely declined to join the trivia contest given that would have left the teams with mismatched numbers. And the fact she was completely useless on Duel Monsters trivia. Cathy had gone to find some food for herself and take more notes into her recorder, leaving the newly minted bride alone.

At least, she was until Plato called a small break so that some participants could use the bathroom and so that Jessie's and Kaede's arguing would stop - the pair were on opposing teams and it had been rather amusing to watch the two of them increasingly bicker from one language to the next until they were both speaking some rather harsh Japanese and frightening the others.

_Jessie is always competitive, but her cousin is her equal in almost every way. Clashing against someone so mirrored to yourself must frustrate her to no end. _Sumire mused as she sipped her water. The idea of a rival was appealing to her on many levels, but between her family name - now, all _three _family names - and the massive publicity she had just got, she doubted she would ever be able to find someone who could brave those waters.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Rosemary seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the seat next to hers. Sumire instinctively felt her back go up - if anyone was going to wind up as a rival to her, it would be Rosemary. The young woman had already made no secret of her feelings. Not dislike - Rosemary was too British to show hostility so openly - but more of a subtle distaste. "You don't want to join the next round?"

"No. I have no knowledge of Duel Monster, so unless the questions are about the inner workings of the Duel Disks, I would be dead weight." Sumire said. "My expertise and skills lie elsewhere."

"In martial arts, perhaps?" Rosemary said mildly, clearly still a little sore about their draw on the sparring mats earlier. "Or rousing speeches? That performance earlier before Verthy's duel is going to be circling the internet for days. I'll be surprised if you don't have women's equality groups hounding you to speak at events."

Sumire pulled a face - while she wasn't adverse to the idea of supporting others, the thought of public speaking like that made her very uncomfortable. "I think you're exaggerating a little."

Rosemary snorted. "Hardly. You're a woman. You're a person of colour. And you made the breakthrough of the century in a field that's usually dominated by men. That's a winning demographic lottery ticket as far as the public are concerned. You've got everything."

It was hard to miss the resentment that crept into Rosemary's voice at the last words, and Sumire felt understanding leap into her mind. "...you mean, I have him."

"And I think you have no idea what that really means." Rosemary was still smiling, but it had gained an edge. "Or what you have done to him."

"I am not a fool, Rosemary. I am keenly aware of what the stresses of all this have done to Bellerophon - what they will continue to do to him." Sumire didn't add she knew because she could see all signs she herself had carried for so long - the raw, edgy nervousness. The hyper awareness of everything that could impact you and the heavy, quiet resignation that you were not up to the tasks ahead. "I will do everything in my power to be a good wife to Bellerophon, as I know he will be a good husband."

"And what does being a good wife entail for you, Sumire?" Rosemary had folded her arms and twisted so that she was facing her now. "Will you get to know him? Learn his favourite things? Learn his least favourite things? Comfort him when things are hard? Celebrate with him when he succeeds? Or is that not covered by your contract? Will you spend your marriage in a laboratory discovering the next big breakthrough, and leaving this marriage on paper as you declared you would at the start of all this?"

Sumire frowned. "...if I didn't know better what this was really about, I'd think you were shaming me for wanting a career."

"I have three careers simultaneously - I can hardly talk," Rosemary pointed out. "But there is only one Lero. He's special, Sumire, in a way that you couldn't possibly understand. So before I watch him sign away his future to a virtual stranger, I want to know that you're a decent person. At the very least, I'd like you to have that going for you before you have a relationship with my friend."

Sumire didn't answer right away. In many ways, she didn't have to justify anything to Rosemary. Things where what they were and the British woman's thoughts and opinions on her didn't matter much more to Sumire than what socks she wore.

But they would matter to Bellerophon and more still, the interview with Cathy had made the Egyptian woman acutely aware of how public her life was going to be in the future. Something only very few people would ever grasp or cope with. With Rosemary being one of them, it behooved her to at least be civil with her.

"Your concerns are understandable," Sumire said at last. "But I have already given my support to Bellorphon engaging emotionally and romantically with whomever he wishes and a promise not to hinder any such thing. What more would you have me do?"

"How about do them yourself?" Rosemary exclaimed, with a touch of exasperation. Clearly it was the most obvious thing in the world to her. "Instead of fobbing his emotional needs off on someone else because you're too busy, why don't you try stepping up...y'know...like you're supposed to do in a marriage?"

Sumire shifted a bit in unease. "I am already endeavoring to be his friend. But I cannot in good faith attempt to be romantic with him simply because that is what is expected of a married couple. And the circumstances surrounding our marriage are raw still. And…" She felt the words fail in her throat, before glancing down at her feet. "My last relationship ended very badly. I am not willing to open my heart again to that risk. Or expose him to my pain."

Part of her was hoping that Rosemary would accept that at the least...maybe feel some sympathy for her if she was lucky. But she was to be disappointed, for this seemed to make only the most fleeting of impression on her before she was back to her disapproving scowl. _She really cannot bear the thought of Bellerophon having anything but the best...that is to say, her._

"You said you were willing to make a go of this marriage. He agreed. He's expecting a real relationship out of this. I don't care what history you have - I only care that right now, my friend is expecting a level of commitment that you don't seem to want to give." She got to her feet, tossing her hair and looking every inch as poised as she would on a catwalk. "So you'd better figure out just what you're expecting out of this marriage, and then tell that to him straight. Because if you string him along with false expectations, there won't be a corner of the planet that you can hide from me."

With that, Rosemary strode away and Sumire watched her go, feeling a knot of heated frustration in her gut at the other woman's bluntness...as well a new sense of respect.

_Rival, indeed..._

TTTTTTT

Lero knew his home like the back of his hand and how a circuitous-appearing route could actually be an effective shortcut if one knew which twists to turn.

And there were some twists he couldn't turn - he was just walking down one of the outer staircases to get to the dining room through when he spotted a long figure on one of the parapets. Easy enough to deduce who it was given the tight, angry stance and the lack of a Duel Disk. Lero changed his path and slid up to the parapet through a short bridge and hidden staircase used for maintenance.

The person had to have seen him come up, but they gave no indication that they cared he was there. Which was fine with Lero. In his home, on his island, there was nowhere he couldn't find them.

"It's not safe to be wandering my castle without an escort, Yoshito." Lero said mildly as he strode out onto the parapet. "It can be hazardous if you aren't familiar with it."

Yoshito's gaze flicked to him, but the other man just scoffed and returned to staring out over the forest.

"I'm not here to rub salt in the wound - you lost. And that's it. But see, I'm getting the feeling you did more than just lose face and pride today. Oh sure, your company's stock is going to tank, that stranglehold you have on the JDSF will probably loosen a bit and you won't be able to go out in public for awhile without a lynch mob forming, but the funny thing is - I'm in the same boat. And I _won _the Bride Tournament."

Seeing he wasn't responding still, Lero leaned forwards on his cane, eyes narrowing. "You know what I think, Yoshito? I think what hurts worse than any of that is that you aren't in control. You held all the cards and then you made a stupid play like this. And you aren't a stupid man. So...why don't you tell me who put you up to all this and why?"

"I have nothing to say to you, Bellerophon. I owe you nothing." Yoshito said sharply without looking at him.

"No, you don't. But the person who screwed you over - you owe them some payback. And I want their head on the block as well." Lero informed him.

Yoshito scoffed. "Is this how a Pegasus does things? Just one defeat of your enemy and you can make him your friend?"

"Nope. I just don't tolerate threats to my game, my home or my family. And if there's a person out there who can make Ironwrought Industries dance to their tune, they are a threat. Besides, you would have the satisfaction of watching Sumire take them down - she's the only who came out of this mess with the world on her side. And as you've shown, public opinion is the one power even money can't buy." Lero said in that mild tone. "Between her and the masses, would this person even stand a chance?"

A bark of a laugh escaped Yoshito. "And praytell, what would this mean for me, hmm? The Bleeding Edge technology? That measly sense of self-satisfaction that I would get for 'doing the right thing'? Or perhaps I'll find Card Game Jesus and devote my life to this insipid pastime!"

"The removal of the shackles on your family's pride isn't enough?" Lero asked with a raised eyebrow and continued when Yoshito started a bit. "I wasn't idle during the tournament, Yoshito. I know thirty years ago, when Paradias was buying out the world's major corporations, someone stepped in and saved Ironwrought Industries. And they invested heavily in your anti-magic weapons research. Enough to save your company from the brink of bankruptcy."

He gestured with his cane. "That must really get to you. You, born to a life of privilege and wealth and power. A Decrall - a name that carries weight and the means to satisfy your every whim and desire. And you have spent every day of your life knowing that someone is holding your leash."

Yoshito did not reply verbally, but the thinning of his lips told the whole story. Seeing it, Lero sighed. He hadn't expected to get answers from Yoshito, not by a long shot - he was still too sore about losing - but at least he had planted some seeds. Hopefully eventually they would flower. Dropping the cane back to it's usual supportive position, he shrugged.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if there ever comes a time when you want to break that leash, you have...well, not an ally, but an option. We're businessmen. We can arrange something if we have to."

"'Better the devil I know than the one I don't." Yoshito said curtly and turned to start stalking towards the door.

"I suggest you head back to the dining hall - Cathy Cathy is looking to interview you." Lero wasn't surprised as Yoshito just brushed by him, radiating enough cold anger he might have gotten frostbite. Everything he knew about the other man said Yoshito was as prideful as they came and his anger was twice as large when that pride was threatened. _And to be honest, I can't think of any situation where I could deal with him reasonably and favorably. Not after what he's done here today._

The idea of Sumire winding up as Yoshito's wife filled him with a sudden sense of dread - there were rumors aplenty about Yoshito's tendency to abuse his partners and how he 'loved it' when they fought back. Nothing Lero could substantiate, of course - anyone at this level of money and power had ways of staying squeaky clean. And yet he couldn't help but feel that as indomitable as Sumire had shown herself to be, Yoshito would only ever see her as a challenge. A wild horse to break.

Despite all that, though, he felt his fingers grip his cane so hard it hurt because they were about to tremble. And that was because if Yoshito was afraid of this mysterious backer, that backer just had to be that much _worse. _

_They about ruined my life in one day. And I have no idea why. _

Dark claws were creeping up around his throat to snare at his brain again, and he felt his nerves, still on edge from the day's events, rattle again like chimes in the wind. _I'm okay. The tournament is over. We won. Everything is fine..._A few deep breaths settled him again.

It was still there, though, lurking along the edges of his mind. Doubt and fear circling him like a pair of viscous hunting dogs that'd treed a squirrel. _I feel as powerful as a squirrel right now._

There was a distinctive clicking on the stones and he turned to find Artemis trotting up to him in a manner he could only describe as 'irate big sister'. Even her wagging tail was more like a stern finger wag than a sign of her happiness. "Hey, girl."

Instead of letting him reach down to pat her, she ducked under his hand and scooted around him, nudging the backs of his legs with her muzzle. "Oh c'mon - don't tell me you tracked me all the way out here just to herd me!"

Her nudging got more insistent and she backed it up with a growl.

"Alright, alright - I'm going back inside!" Lero started moving before she could nudge him again.

He was reaching for the door handle when he heard a nasty growling coming from behind him. "Artemis, really, I am going as fast I can - there's a reason I have cane-"

His protest was cut off as he nearly face-planted into the door when she pressed herself bodily against his legs. Swearing under his breath, Lero twisted but Artemis kept herself against him. Her hackles were raised and every fang bared in a vicious snarl. "What has gotten into you? There's nothing there at all-"

Then he felt it. A sickening chill that crawled down his back in tendrils, trying to seep into his soul. _Oh no. No no no no no no -!_

The universe didn't listen to his protests. The line at the edge of the island and the ocean warped and twisted like an optical illusion and then erupted skywards. He watched as it arched overhead and down the other side to seal in Duelist Kingdom like some kind of snowglobe.

Shadows fell across the land as everything took a warped color palette; reality now a photonegative that someone had screwed up. Even the sun overhead shone with ugly black light that cast shades of purple, red and dark blue everywhere.

A Darkness Game.

And they were all trapped inside.

TTTTTTT

The trivia game had gone smoothly enough, except for the occasional challenging remark thrown across the way between the teams. And they had been funny, too. At least until Toppa had cracked one rap pun too many that left Jessie lunging for him and crying about the desecration of the English language. Blackwood and Raymon were attempting to intervene before the blonde strangled Toppa with his own chains, but were having little success as Toppa's attempt to duck away had left him getting knotted up in those same chains.

Plato was debating about whether or not it was polite to laugh - or if he should just go and get the bolt cutter for this particular Gordian knot, when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. In the same moment, he noticed Daniel going upright and stiff, his face turning pale while Rosemary gasped and her grip tightened on her pen so hard it snapped.

The light in the room warped as shadows oozed over the sky and he felt a cold touch on his heart as he realized what it was. A Darkness Game.

"What the hell is this bullshit?" Jackie demanded as she shot to her feet and stamped towards a window. Then her jaw dropped a bit and she swore again. "Fuck! It's over the whole damn island!"

"_What_ is over the whole damn island and really, would swearing at it help us?" Reginald didn't blink as Jackie shot him a disapproving glare. "A crisis is no excuse for bad manners!"

"This can't be right," Rosemary whispered. She was standing, glancing wildly around the room as she backed away. Plato could see a faint outline of something snake-like coiling around her proactively for the barest moment. "It can't be! If this is a Darkness Game, where's the challenger? Or the rules?"

"Darkness Games are magic, aren't they?" Blackwood was adjusting his tie, but Plato suspected the habit was more to keep himself calm than true need. "If it is, they don't really have to obey rules."

"Yes, they do." Daniel said in a quiet voice that carried with it far more experience than anyone expected. "A Darkness Game has to follow a few rules. It has to be a game we can all participate in, have an equal chance of winning and we have to know the rules before we start."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but here's a better question." Jessie was pushing Raymon behind her, eyes scanning the room. "Where the hell is the thing that can do this to the whole damn island at once!?"

No sooner were the words out of her mouth when the shadows seemed to ooze from the walls like slick black oil. Slithering across the carpet they nipped at the heels of the duelists who all scrambled to get out of the way, to no avail. One of them split into two, racing around the room to climb up Kaede and Jackie, swallowing their legs, torso, and then heads before disappearing into whisps along with their captured prey.

"No!" Plato was leaping over to Rosemary even as the shadows erupted around her. They coiled over her, straining against the guardian spirit she held even as her eyes darkened into black. But then they squeezed through the coils of her protector and the white-haired woman vanished into the blackness with a scream.

"Get her off the ground-!" Toppa suited action to words, hurling Verthandi up in the air as a shadow snared her ankle. Blackwood stretched out his hands to catch her - and the shadows stretched out to the ceiling like a swooping bag, snaring her in mid-air.

"Jessie!" Raymon was lunging, but only caught thin air as his girlfriend vanished in time it took to say her name.

"The hell was that!?" Crypt demanded. "And where did it take them!?"

Plato felt a weight settle on his chest, the kind one got when they realized a horrible, unchangeable truth in the worst way. "I don't know."

TTTTTT

Rosemary was spat out into darkness.

And something crunched under her feet.

A reflexive shift to her other foot and more crunching. She looked down.

Bits of glass were scattered across the floor.

_"Rosie, Rosie, your blood's not pure. For your sins, pain's what you'll endure…"_

Her heart skipped a beat as the song drifted out of the darkness. "No - no, you're dead! Lero and Ra burned you to nothing!"

"Don't you know that the darkness is eternal? It will always come back." Her uncle's voice said from the shadows, warm and paternal. Underneath, she could hear him tapping out the melody to his twisted song. "Until there's no more vessels to hold it."

"Show yourself!" Rosemary felt her spirit surge into existence, its body coiling around her and readying its claws, its wings to dive on him the moment he showed his face. "Where are we?!"

"The place I go in my dreams." The darkness began to lighten from some invisible source and Rosemary soon saw the source of the broken glass.

There were giant photos of dozens of white-haired people in various styles of dress that she recognized from nearly every era of history. The smiling faces were ruined by spiderwebs of shattered glass, by hanging strips of shredded canvas and paper, by scorched holes.

They were all her ancestors.

And around all of their necks was a golden ring with a triangle center and five dangling points.

"Our family's curse." Ryou explained as she took a few careful steps forwards, bringing more pictures and photos into view. "The Millenium Ring, treasure of that blasted Thief King and the thing that infected our souls! It feeds on us - on our evil - like a parasite and our family became its willing hosts for the power it promised them!"

"The Ring is destroyed! Its evil cannot hurt anyone! I told you ten years ago, I will not die because of some obsession, Uncle!" Rosemary shot back. "I am my own person, not some incarnate of evil!"

A sad, bitter laugh. "No, Rosemary, you are not a person. You're an animal, my sister's pet cash cow. How many times has she told you 'this is for your own good?' That she's your mother and you had better listen to her?" He trailed off for a long moment, the tapping melody halting. "I...didn't realize it, when you were little...what she was doing...sculpting you to be the crown jewel of her life...I didn't save you back then…"

The shadows in front of her peeled away, revealing her uncle looking just as emaciated and ruined as when Lero had dueled him not even twelve hours before.

_There! Now! _Rosemary didn't even have to think the words - the ground around her exploded as her spirit launched itself forwards like it was coiled spring and she could see in her mind's eye the wide-open fanged mouth and razor-sharp claws ready to shred Ryou into bloody ribbons.

Except there was a clap of noiseless thunder and Rosemary screamed in sudden pain as she felt the spirit get blown back. Claws destroyed paintings and the walls underneath as it clawed for balance and then there was another noiseless thunderclap and it went crashing to the ground, a hole in its chest that left it melting away.

Ryou lowered his hand, watching her with disappointment. "Diabound has always been our family's _ka._ Did you really think you could use that thing to hurt me here?"

Rosemary unfolded herself, gritting her teeth against the pain that was exploding over her whole body. "My spirit...is not Diabound…!"

"Rosemary, I know you don't understand or don't want to believe it - but it is an undeniable fact!" He swept out his hand to indicate the scattered gallery around them. "Our family, willingly or not, has always been the puppets of an undying evil! Our only freedom is not to live, the only good we do is to die!"

He held out his arm and a Duel Disk fizzled into existence there, foaming out of the darkness like a static image slowly becoming clear. It was carved out of black stone, nary an electronic piece anywhere. Yet it still lit up with bleak black fire as he slammed his deck into the slot. "I promise you, I am going to save you! I won't let you be tainted any longer!"

"And I will not let myself be haunted by your sad memory any more!" Rosemary held up her arm and her Duel Disk activated. "This time, Uncle, you are going to stay dead!"

TTTTTT

The one thing all her family's stories about the Darkness Games they participated and the creepy weirdness they all generated failed to mention how cold it was.

Kaede was glad she was still in her Eliminator outfit - the air was half-filled with fog and completely chilly because of it. The Devil Dragon's trenchcoat was warm enough that she wasn't shivering - at least from the cold.

She puffed out a breath, watched the cloud slowly dissolve into the larger fog around her. "Is the creepy, cowardly person behind all this going to show themselves or am I going to have to sit here and blow smoke rings?"

A deep baritone laugh echoed from the fog. "What confidence you have! So much like your brazen father, little Mouto!"

"Cute, you know my name. That's not intimidating." Kaede rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "You can come out, Panik - or are you finally living up to your name and hiding in your fog like a kid under the blanket?"

The laugh again as the mists parted in front of her, revealing the giant of a man in his leather clothing and grim smile. "How did you ever guess it was me, little Mouto?"

"It was easy - adding cowardly tricks like hiding in the fog and that arrogant tone together usually nets me a weakling." Kaede smirked as Panik growled.

"You'll think twice about mocking me here." Panik said with a sweeping gesture. "This is the personal hell your father cast me into all those years ago!" The fog began to recede, revealing the silhouettes of spider-like trees towering above them. "And let me tell you - it's a wonderful place to hang around!"

Kaede watched the fog lighten more, frowning as she realized the trees weren't spider-like. They just had things suspended from the branches. Large things connected to them by slender ropes. Her eyes widened. "The Forest of Suicides!?"

Panik laughed again at her expression. "Take heart, little Mouto, no one you know is here! In fact, they aren't even human!" He reached out, grabbing a dangling hand and yanked it into view, revealing scaled skin and claws. "These are the devils that the shadows sent to torment me!"

He was right; Kaede could see it now. Horns and oversized claws, tusk-like fangs, leather wings, blood-matted fur, ichor and guts.

"They wanted me to string myself up and sway, but I refused to be cowed! I conquered these monsters and slayed them! After all, I'm already dead! What more do I have to fear from such things!?" Panik boomed another laugh, his dark gaze zeroing on her. "And soon, I will add you to their number!"

"You think some broken toys hanging from the trees frightens me?" She curled her lips. "I'm just sad I didn't get to have all the fun."

She swept out her arm, actually driving him back a step as her coat billowed and her Duel Disk activated. "So come here and try yourself against me, Panik! If you try hard enough, I might actually get some satisfaction from you!"

Panik stared at her, then held out his arm. The mists gathered there, warping into a stone Duel Disk that already had a deck in place. "That confidence of yours - I'm going to enjoy watching it crumble into panic!"

TTTTTT

"_Heeey, Kaiba! Heeeeey, Kaiba!"_

_"Kaiba-boy! Heeey, Kaiba-boy! Boy Kaiba! Heeeey!"_

"Fuckin' hell, no…." Jackie hadn't even opened her eyes and she could already tell she hated wherever she was. Too much sand, wind and now obnoxious cartoons. Without a look, she lashed out with a fist and felt it connect with something that shattered.

"_Heee-ssnks-ey Kooiiiiaaabbaaa…"_

"Nope, not any better." Rolling to her feet, the biker dusted herself off and frowned at the broken TV half-buried in the sand. There was a waving cartoon rabbit in suspenders on it, the missing pieces of the screen doing nothing to stop it from working. Neither was the fact it wasn't plugged in. "Thing looks like it was busted before I got here."

She glanced around. The entire place was soaked in the dull grey-purple of twilight, though there was no sun or moon as far as she could tell. She was atop one of the gently rolling sand dunes and jutting out of some of them were hunks of golden metal. They all had awkward, angled shapes that followed no rhyme or reason she could see. But they were the only thing she could see on the otherwise barren, empty landscape.

"Well, crap."

A lonely wind whipped through the golden lumps, mournfully carrying her own words back to her.

"Are you the missing piece?"

Jackie turned to see a figure standing on the dune behind her. Taller than she was with a lanky form and a blue school uniform, dark-ringed blue eyes peering at her from under brown bangs. "Okay, you look like Seto Kaiba, but you aren't him. He's dead."

"But I am Kaiba...or at least, the darkest part of him." Kaiba said with dry laugh. "The part Yugi Mouto set free with his Mind Crush and the thing Seto Kaiba was to leave out when he rebuilt his heart." He laughed and spread his arms to encompass the pieces jutting out around them. "As you see, Seto left out a few more pieces than just me!"

"So what, this supposed to be the place where all those discarded pieces end up?" Jackie spat into the sand. "Sob story supposed to make me feel sorry for you, asshole? Or just pity?"

"Discarded pieces of a soul are like matter. You can't destroy or eliminate them; they'll always exist in some form or another. But unlike matter, you can change their shape, making something new out of something old. I-"

"So you want my soul to be the glue or some other magic logic explanation that justifies anything you're about to do." Jackie just held out her arm and her Duel Disk activated. "Bottom line, it comes down to a duel. So just shut up or put up."

Kaiba's grin became malicious as he leaned over, hand plunging into the sand to retrieve a black stone Duel Disk. He slid it on and it activated, a ring of sand coasting out from him as the magic flared. "If you want to die in ignorance, I don't blame you. People have such a hard time accepting the inevitable."

"You have the ego of the real Kaiba, at least. Not that's saying much at all - ego's just hot air." Jackie grinned as light struck her mask, the paint soaking up the light so much it left only a void for her dark eyes and cheshire grin to float in. "But that won't keep you warm in my graveyard!"

TTTTTT

In a silent rippling motion, the dolls that lined the walls followed her as Verthy made her away down the aisle. Lacking no face but smooth blankness, they still watched her with unnerving intensity. Their silence was deafening, every scuff of her shoes on the wood or her breath seemingly bringing her one notch closer to when they acted upon that intensity.

Not that there was much else for them to watch. The place Verthy had found herself in was not much more than a room. Well-lit, but dark in ways she didn't like. Beyond the dolls, the air was stiff and stale. There was no dust or dirt, yet that felt like it came utterly from the lack of life here. Rows of puppet controls, strings, pieces and more were boxed and organized in cases. With a fastidious neatness that the German woman only ever saw when someone was tidying the possessions of the dead.

"This is a place of the dead." She realized she didn't need to speak, but did so because the dead had no voice. And, that train of thought continued, if she did not speak, then she was also dead.

As if reading her thoughts, the dolls all shifted to look at her with the air of someone deeply expectant that their current sense of satisfaction was about to be justified.

No weapons. No doors or windows. No where to get away to. The room felt like a treadmill as she walked, even though she could not see a pattern in dolls that suggested that. But every blink, every look away made uneasiness grow and the impression of mocking smiles grew in the dolls rigid postures and Verthy got the strong suspicion they were like children, rearranging themselves when she wasn't looking.

She stopped walking.

The dolls kept staring.

Without looking, she reached out and pushed some tools out of alignment.

The staring drew sharper, more focused and she could practically feel the metaphorical grins becoming literal anger that began to choke the air.

"Those which are forgotten often die and those that are dead die again when no one remembers them."

Verthy whirled, the anger of the dolls oozing away from her to the speaker. Yet despite the rawness of it, the newcomer gave no heed to that anger's existence. Or perhaps his clothing was protection enough, being as it was the thick cloak of a puppeteer and a mask over his nose and mouth. "Yet I know who you are, Puppeteer of Darkness."

"You know a title that you assume is a name." Baleful grey eyes glared from underneath the wide brim of his hat. "Do you know the man behind that title?"

Verthy opened her mouth...then closed it and shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I don't."

"Neither do I. Not anymore. He is forgotten and so is dead. As are all my dolls." He nodded at the collection surrounding them. "That was the gimmick, the _jes na se quoi. _That touch of fear that made them question, fighting against a dead loved one from beyond the grave. Fear became the wedge into their beings and doubt my hammer to drive it home and shatter them."

"All these dolls were your victims?" Verthy didn't dare to look away from him, afraid if she did she'd try to count the dolls and learn there was more than she could.

"They were. Targets I was paid to eliminate and so here, in my hell, they mock me. Torment me with their lack of identity. I could be free, if only I could put names to faces and faces to paychecks. Show them the respect I couldn't in life." He sighed theatrically.

"I gather you have had no one to talk to but these dolls in a very long time. However, I have no desire to exchange any more words with you than necessary." Verthy held up her Duel Disk. "Let's duel."

The Puppeteer just nodded and let the doll in his hands drop to the floor. It had no features or clothes and was only lumps of connected wood in the shape of a person. The controls flicked his hands and it stood up, putting on a tiny Duel Disk and drawing equally tiny cards from its deck. "Does my challenger have the manners to grace me with her name?"

"I am Verthandi Hannah Von Schroeder, the duelist who wields the deck that shatters destiny!" Verthy snapped up her opening hand of five cards, her eyes calm and cool despite her words.

"A fine name, a fine name indeed. Spirited and full…" A raspy laugh rattled the Puppeteer's mask and the dolls around them rippled in silent laughter of their own. "I look forwards to forgetting all of it!"

TTTTTT

Jessie's luck hadn't failed her.

Sure, she'd been taken by unknown dark magical powers and hurtled to god-knew-where, but she'd at least landed somewhere familiar.

The rattling noises, yells of delight, clattering of chips and musical notes were almost a second home to her. She'd landed in a casino.

But as she lifted her head and wiped her eyes to clear her vision, it quickly became apparent that this was just like that time in Macau. Having the good fortune to land in a casino and the worst luck to land in a casino that was going to kill her.

Her luck hadn't failed her there, alright.

The whole place smelled of burnt metal shavings, sawdust and motor oil. Broken windows spilled in enough light to show that it wasn't nearly enough to illuminate the massive factory building. And what was revealed was unsettling. Skeletal robots were gambling at converted machinery. A ball bearing bounced on a tire turned roulette wheel and metallic groans and cheers erupted in equal measure when it stopped, washers changing hands or shoved to the dealer.

The table next to her had a group of them playing poker with cards that were broken glass with appropriate symbols carved into them and across the way, a drill press spewed sparks every time the robot there pulled the lever. When the sparks practically exploded, the robot cheered in a dull drone that warped as those same sparks began to melt its face.

"_One Round! One Round! One Round!" _

She jumped to her feet at the flat digital shout as memories of that illegal casino in Macau rushed forwards. Whirling, she started again at the raucous static cheers mixed with winding and grinding of rusted joints and banging metal. Behind her was one more group of skeleton robots, all watching another of their kind spin the barrel of a revolver and raise it to its forehead. The gun stopped and it pulled the trigger. A finger of white hot flame spewed from the barrel, digging into the metal skull and then puttering out. Sparks and wires poured out of the new hole along with smoke as the robot tossed the gun back onto the table amidst more cheers. Motor oil drinks slopped everywhere

A new robot picked it up.

"_One Round! One Round! One Round!" _

The barrel spun, the gun was raised and the trigger pulled. Once, twice, three times. Four times and then on the fifth - white hot flames. This time, the robot's jaw dropped open to spew out melted plastics and wiring like some kind of sad version of a dragon. It clattered to the table, still leaking smoke.

Washers and nuts changed hands and Jessie stared as the 'dead' robot snared a pile, sitting back up again and more cheers.

_They weren't playing not to die. They were playing to see how much damage they did. _The thought made her insides twist. That kind of insanity was disturbing, even if they were robots.

Even if they were robots...who didn't care about the damage.

Gambling instinct made her look around the room again, catching all of the little tells and twists hidden by the flash in the pan that was this place's very existence. The roulette wheel was all generic grey and wasn't painted anywhere to indicate winner or losing. The drill press slot simply 'won' if you pulled the lever hard enough. The poker cards - everyone could see your hand and Jessie could see all the cards were the same, anyway.

"Gambling without any meaning." Jessie breathed, as though her words were going to startle all of the gamblers around her. "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

"It's supposed to be hell, chicky." An all too-human voice drawled from nearby. "And ain't it doing its job to a 'T'!"

Jessie turned, lips settling in a grimace as she caught sight of the man seated by himself at a table. He was leaning back in his chair, boots crossed on a pile of washers, but she'd know that American flag bandanna, bad shades and stubble from every single one of her parents' stories. "Bandit Keith. Looks like karma caught up to you."

"Karma caught nothing, brat." Keith laughed as he laced his arms above his head. "I'm a cheat and a crooker, but I ain't a liar. And I ain't done nothing wrong that would lead me in hell all justified like."

Jessie pulled a face. "See this face? This is my 'I'm so sorry, have all my sympathy' face."

"Figgers Wheeler's brat would have as much manners as he did." Keith's boots and chair legs thumped to the floor. "Not even going to ask why I'm here?"

"You trapped my dad alive in a cave with all his friends and threatened to shoot Pegasus for prize money. However you got here, you probably deserved it." Jessie glowered at him. "And since I was just taken by some magical shadow goop, I bet you and I have to duel."

"Betting on a sure thing there, chicky." Keith stood up, kicked his table aside with casual effort. Washers and nuts scattered across the floor and robots abandoned their drill press slots to swarm them and shove them into tin cups. "But then again, most people who wager their lives tend ta think they are."

"Wager my life-?" Jessie wasn't sure if she was questioning him or demanding an answer because the gambling den's raucous noise began to ratchet up and in the darkness, pairs of red eyes began to show themselves. There was no life in them, only the mindless hunger for entertainment. "Keith-"

"These robo-hobos haven't any thrills in a long time, blondie! And nothing's more exciting than watching blood fly!" Keith laughed uproariously as two robots hauled a long table between them and piled genuine chips next to them. "So we're gonna duel with a killer twist!"

He hauled out a dark stone Duel Disk and slid it on and then grabbed a chip, holding it on edge between his fingers. "Here's how it works - we bet each round and whoever loses the most life points that round, loses chips. Except these chips ain't worth cash. They're worth pain and suffering. Each one a wound, each wound a payment to the goddess of luck!"

"Here, you can pick my answer out of three - hell no, god no and fuck you, fuck no!" Jessie snapped.

"You ain't got a choice, Wheeler Lite! You don't gamble, they kick you out!" Keith's point was emphasised by the fact those eyes in the darkness were suddenly joined by slithering noises and Jessie could see glimpses of cables and hooks and saws and anything else. "In pieces."

He shrugged, spreading his hands to the other gambling games around. "'Course, you could play one of these games. With that Wheeler bullshit luck, I'm sure you'd survive just fine." He bared teeth in an ugly grin. "With only one hand, right?"

"Fine…!" Jessie activated her Duel Disk, violet eyes narrowing. "You know, my dad beat you, my uncle beat you - let's go three for three and see if you stay gone for good!"

TTTTTT

Lero had not been in his father's art studio for several years. There had been the practical reason of being too busy running I2 to find the time to spare and his own artistic talent was passable at best. And the emotional reason that spending time in that room which had been his father's second home left him with painful feelings that he felt would taint the good memories that place had.

But he had a good memory and it hadn't changed. Canvas rectangles were stacked against one wall next to the bookshelf full of reference material. Next to that was a carefully organized stand of drawers filled with paints, chalk, charcoal and whatever else his father felt was interesting to create with. Half-completed projects stood on easels, a mix of lines and paints. At the end was a light table and its wall-based counterpart so his father could trace messy designs on fresh sheets.

Which was the first clue he had to why this place was magical in nature. Well, the second given the first was he'd been sucked into shadows and had been standing on a parapet with his dog a few minutes ago.

He plucked a paintbrush from an easel, held it upright and watched the red paint on it dribble down the bristles. Then shook his head and set it back down. "This is really a poor showing, you know. My dad kept his art studio pristine and always cleaned his brushes."

There was no response, not that he was expecting one. It seemed to be just him. Well, he and his worries. _This shadow is over the entire island. And if I got snatched, I'd bet anything the others were as well. The girls are in danger just because they came to help me. And the Pros were just doing their jobs. So were Plato and Tesla._

The dark claws of his fear caressed the back of his neck like a lover as they slithered up towards his brain, rattling wind-chime nerves again. But he pushed them away. _Whatever this is, it's going to want to duel and everyone here is a capable duelist. And most of the girls have experience in this sort of thing. We've got this._

Well, they did at least. Memories of his duel against Ryou from the previous night whispered to him of how desperate he'd been and the stale smell of hot air and sand sucked the moisture from his tongue as Ra's flame voice echoed with judgment and punishment.

A 'tsking' noise came from behind him. "Looking so stressed, Lero-boy. Why don't you sit down and paint a smile over that frown, hmm?"

Lero gripped his cane tightly as he turned around; that voice was even more familiar to him than the art studio. But like the art studio, he hadn't heard it in years and certainly not with that level of casual mockery. "Is this the part where I jump in surprise and question why my father is suddenly awake and what's he doing here?"

The elder Pegasus gave him a look from under his bangs without really lifting his head away from the table he was sketching at. "Well, that's a bit crass of you. There's a script for these things, my boy and it's rude to just go derailing it!"

Lero just glared, but that bemused expression didn't waver and the only sound in the room was the sketching of pencil over the page. Finally, he rolled his eyes and lifted his cane in a dramatic wave while making his voice as flat as possible. "What- Dad?! What are you doing here? Are you okay? What's going on?!"

"So glad you asked, Lero! So glad you asked!" Pegasus said with his own dramatic wave. "Why, it's time for the long-awaited clash between father and son! To truly come into your own, you have to face down your old man!"

"Gee, how did I ever guess that was going to happen? I'm in a replica of his art studio and looking at a terrible version of him dressed in a black suit my father wouldn't be caught dead wearing." Lero said dryly.

Pegasus looked down at his suit. "And what's wrong with black? It goes with everything! Formal parties, nights out, business meetings and even…" He flipped around the piece he had been working on with a flourish and obnoxious grin. "Funerals!"

Lero stared at the sketch depicting him in a casket, his father leaning over it with a faceless crowd behind him and whispering 'Son, are you wearing clean underwear?'. It would have been funny, if the Lero in the casket didn't have 'Bad Son' carved into his forehead.

"What do you think? Not bad for twenty minutes of work, right?" Pegasus coaxed and then blinked as Lero's cane speared the artwork and ripped it out of his fingers. He sulked playfully. "Everyone's a critic!"

"An honest opinion is worth its weight in gold - a credo my real dad lived by as an artist." Lero shredded the artwork easily.

"But he never lived as a duelist with you around and I'm afraid that the duelist part of him is another man entirely." Pegasus stood up and pulled out a black stone Duel Disk that he fit onto his arm. That completed, he just shoved his art desk away with a casual motion and it moved like it was nothing at all.

"And that's supposed to be you, is it?" Lero scoffed and was unsurprised to find a Duel Disk on his own arm. He popped the eyepiece free and slid into place over his left eye.

"In a manner of speaking. I'm Maximillion Pegasus, the same Maximillion Pegasus who traveled the world in pursuit of knowledge, invented Duel Monsters and who explored the mysteries of Millenium Items all to fulfill his ambition of reuniting with his lost love. The part of him that died after Duelist Kingdom, thirty years ago." Pegasus said, his lips lifting in a ruthless smirk. "All his old skills honed and sharpened to perfection instead of dulling in the sheath called 'fatherhood.'"

"Really, cause the way I've heard it is my father's skills back then were reliant on cheap emotional manipulation and a magic eye. And you are terrible at the first and missing the second, I think I'll be alright." Lero pulled his deck from his pocket and slid it into his disk. And tried to ignore how warm and angry the cards in it were feeling.

"Well, at least I managed to raise you with enough manners not to shirk from a challenge - far cry from the little boy who would bang on my door and demand to be let in the middle of the night because he was afraid I'd left him alone. Like a coward." Pegasus chuckled as Lero's glare sharpened. "Oh, who's failing at cheap emotional manipulation, now?"

"Please. I'm just indulging in the actual opportunity to lay into my father for everything that's happened to me over the last week, consequence free." Lero raked a hand through his hair, grin growing as its initial ferocity actual made Pegasus start in surprise. "Count up my father's sins, imposter, because I'm going to withdraw payment for every one from you! With interest!"

TTTTTT

_Darkness has fallen across Duelist Kingdom, ghosts of the past have invaded and the duels are not over yet! There is no waking from this Nitemare! _

_Next Chapter: Duel Madness! Numerical Advantage!_


	15. Duel Madness! Numbers Advantage!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N:__ This chapter was super massive, so I've just chunked it up to preserve tension and for my own sanity. Six climatic duels at the same time might have been a bit much…_

_A brief note - any created cards that do have their effects listed at the bottom of the chapter aren't there for dramatic purposes._

_The lyrics used in Lero's duel belong to JT Music's 'Rest Ink', a brilliant song they did about one of the Bendy and the Ink Machine games. Go check it out!_

Chapter 15: Duel Madness! Numerical Advantage!

"I start! Draw!" Rosemary ripped her card free and slapped it down. "I summon Berry Magician Girl in attack mode!" In a shower of pastel colored sparkles, a small child in pale magician's clothes appeared. Waving a tiny wand with berries on either end and sucking a pacifier, she giggled...until she caught sight of Bakura and scowled in adorable fashion. "When this monster is summoned, I can add another magician girl from my deck to my hand!" (400/400)

Grabbing the card her deck spat out, she swept two cards from her hand into her disk. "I set two cards face-down. End turn!"

Ryou didn't react at first, smiling adorably at the sight of her monster. "I always liked your deck choice, even if Amane forced it on you. It's very you, Rosemary."

"I do not care what you think, you tried to kill me and Lero!" Rosemary snapped and jabbed a finger at him. "Now take your turn or forfeit!"

His smile became forlorn as he nodded. "I take no joy in this, Rosemary. But I love you, so I draw!" He picked up his card. "I discard one Gimmick Puppet to summon Gimmick Puppet Bisque Doll." With a dark giggle, the stitched-together doll in gothic clothing appeared. (1000/1000)

Grabbing another card, he placed it onto his disk. Eerie rattling filled the space a stroller clattered into view, Rosemary flinching a bit as a black, cracked plastic doll peered out with glowing eyes. "The effect of Terror Baby summons another Gimmick Puppet from my graveyard, so I summon Dreary Doll." (500/0)

The ground rumbled and a casket shuddered out of the floor, lid popping off to reveal a bandaged broken doll with a crooked, twisted grin. (0/0)

"Next, I activate Machine Duplication, targeting Dreary Doll! I summon two more from my deck!" Two more caskets appeared in front of him, revealing two more dolls. "Then I play Card of Puppets, destroying Terror Baby and letting me draw one card."

Rosemary grimaced as the stroller ignited in flames, the little doll laughing all too much like a real baby as it began to melt and ooze into a puddle. Berry Magician Girl let out a frightened wail and clutched her staff desperately as the monster blew into pixels and Ryou drew.

There was a grinding noise as the field slot on his stone Duel Disk forced itself open and he shoved a card into it. "I'm sorry that your final performance will not be on a catwalk, but Gimmick Theatre will be the stage of your funeral!"

With a smattering of creaky applause, the glass-covered room became a long 360-degree stage for the duelists with tiered seating to either side. Rosemary felt the room become colder still and tried not to shiver, but failed when she realized the audience wasn't just any set of dolls. They were all mannequins based on the gallery of her ancestors. Broken limbs, lolling heads and endless placid, perfect smiles. And dull shine of fake gold as their Millenium Rings dug their way into the plastic bodies.

"Now, I open the Overlay Network! _Dress-up is no disguise for murder; a broken teenth needle and veins for a thread! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Sew'n'Strangle!_" A wicked laugh heralded the monsters' appearance, her broken head lolling in the neck joint and fiddling with a cat's cradle that definitely wasn't string. (2000/2000)

His two Dreary Dolls faded away together as the spiraling galaxy of an Xyz Summon opened again. "_A death as the punch-line, the cheers of the crowd, the tolling of death's bell! Strangle them all with the noose! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Gallow Sway!" _His new monster was a lanky doll swaying above the ground, dangling from a noose. He hung limp in death..then jerked his head up and laughed crazily with dead eyes. (1000/1000)

Ryou smiled at the dolls and then lifted a hand. "I activate the effect of Gallow Sway - I remove one Xyz Material and place a String Counter on a monster you control! I select Berry Magician Girl!"

"Because you targeted Berry, I can activate her effect! Her mode changes and I summon a new Magician Girl!" Rosemary pointed at the field and a large, glowing apple appeared on her field. It popped, revealing a magician in red and gold, wielding an apple-topped staff. (1200/700)

"But the counter is still placed-" Ryou watched as strings dropped out the dark ceiling and looped themselves around Bery to entangle her. "Then I activate Gallow Sway's effect again!"

There was a sound of a lever moving, Gallow Sway's noose tightening and the monster itself erupting into gagging that became laughter as more strings lashed out of the darkness to bind up Apple Magician Girl. "Now Sew'n'Strangle attacks Berry Magician Girl! _Blood Noose!_"

Sew'n'Strangle laughed and flecks of blood spattered across the audience as she whipped out her 'thread' at the struggling infant magician.

"Reverse card open! Shift! Now you must attack Apple Magician Girl!" Rosemary watched as the threads changed direction for her other magician, who was beginning to glow. "And when my monster is attacked-"

She was cut off as the audience clattered to life, booing and banging broken fingers on the stands and uncaring they were knocking pieces of themselves off. Ryou shook his head. "In Gimmick Theatre, any monster with a String Counter cannot activate its effects!"

Apple Magician Girl cried out as the bloody threads lashed her, leaving smeared red welts. "They also cannot be destroyed in battle!"

"Reverse card open!" Rosemary gaped as her remaining card refused to lift and then grit her teeth as the damage hit her, then stared as Gallow Sway began to rock back and forth, rope lengthening until he had enough momentum to smash his feet into Berry Magician. "What!?" (RLP: 8000-6700-6100)

"When battled by a Gimmick Puppet, they suffer piercing damage as well and if you cannot tribute them. So if your set card could do that, it will not activate." Ryou watched as Gallow Sway re-strangled himself to shrink the rope and return to his original position. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

_An aggressive stun deck! _Rosemary reached for her next draw. _And nearly all of my monster effects are triggers. _She drew and grimaced at the at the sight of Allure Queen LV5 and placed it alongside Allure Dance in her hand. _Even if I could summon her, she can't affect Xyz monsters._

A spell on the far end her hand caught her eye. "I activate Magical Gate of Miracles, changing your Sew'n'Strangle to defense mode and taking control of it!" As she spoke, the doll knelt down and winked out of existence and reappeared on her field. The two Magician Girls made faces and struggled to squirm away but their bonds were too strong.

"Then I sacrifice her for Dark Magician Girl!" The doll vanished, replaced by the sneering face of the dark-skinned, red-and-gold magician. At least it was a sneer until she caught sight of their surroundings and her face became a disapproving scowl. "Battle! Destroy Gallow Sway! _Dark Burning!" _(2000/17000)

Energy coiled around the staff and Ryou braced himself as the blast crashed into his doll. The toy was still laughing as the attack burned it away and the leftover magic embers licked his clothing. (RBLP: 8000-7000)

"This ends my turn." Rosemary said and watched his set card lifted, her two Magician Girls suddenly dropping to their feet as the binding strings vanished. "Why did you do that?"

"The trap card - Strings and Things. By removing String Counters from your field, I can draw two cards." Ryou drew the new cards, then drew again. "My turn begins."

He held up a spell card. "JUnk Dealer revives two of my Dreary Dolls at half stats!" In flashes of light, the two coffin-dwelling dolls reappeared. "Then I overlay them to summon another Gallow Sway!"

Rosemary watched as the two monsters melded together and the new doll dropped from the ceiling with a laugh. "Activate Magical Dimension!" Her Dark Magician Girl vanished, replaced by an upright golden coffin. "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl and summon Allure Queen LV5!" The coffin opened and allowed her purple-clad Queen to stride out. "And then Gallow Sway is destroyed!"

The Xyz monster shattered, pieces clattering to the ground but Ryou just nodded. "I set one card face-down. End turn."

"My move!" Rosemary drew and slapped her card down. "I summon Lemon Magician Girl!" Like Apple before her, a lemon appeared on her field and popped to reveal a magician clad in yellow and wielding a lemon-headed staff. "Then I'll use her effect - I tribute another Spellcaster to add another Magician Girl to my hand. I sacrifice Berry to add Kiwi to my hand!" (800/600)

Berry vanished and she caught the card her deck whirred out for her. "I activate Kiwi's effect! I discard her and all Magician Girls gain 300 ATK for every Magician Girl I have or in my graveyard! There Is Berry, Apple, Lemon, Kiwi and Dark Magician Girl! That's fifteen hundred points!" Lemon and Apple began to glow as their power rose and they readied their staves. (800-2300) (1200-2500)

"Now all of my monsters attack you directly! _Dark Flux!" _Allure Queen twirled her staff and lashed Ryou across the chest with a burst of dark power that staggered him a step. (RBLP: 7000-6000)

_"Red Blast!" _Apple slammed her staff into the ground in a move that unleashed a wave of power that slammed into him and left him smoking. (RBLP: 6000-3500)

"_Zesty Burn!" _Lemon twirled and it launched a great blast from her staff that caught Ryou in the chest and shoved him a foot backwards. (RBLP: 3500-1200)

"I'd hope that would have gotten the point across, but that would be asking too much." Rosemary said and grabbed a card from her hand. "I set this face-down and end my turn!"

Ryou straightened, one hand feeling the damage to his chest. "You've gotten better, Rosemary. You have a talent. But if you continue to grow, the more damage you'll inflict when our family's evil surfaces…" He closed his eyes soberly. "I'll cut you down here and now and spare you that suffering! Draw!"

He pulled the card free and grabbed another one. "Dark Eruption! This spell lets me add Dreary Doll from my graveyard to my hand because it is a DARK monster with less than fifteen hundred attack!" Adding the card to his hand he pointed at his set card. "Now I activate Puppet Parade!"

The card lifted and the audience began to cheery while organ music began to pipe in from somewhere. It was supposed to be cherry, but the organ was broken and off-key, leaving it eerie and quiet. "With this trap card, I summon Gimmick Puppets from my deck until I have the same number of monsters you do! Come forth, two Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll and Gimmick Puppet Des Troy!"

Two mannequin-esque dolls appeared, lifeless and featureless. In the middle was the dark parody of a centaur, all legs and twistedness. "Then I use Des Troy's effect to destroy itself and summon two more Gimmick Puppets from my hand!" (1000/100x2) (1200/1000)

Des Troy exploded and he slapped down two more cards. The coffin-living Dreary Doll and the gothic Bisque Doll joined the play field with dark giggles. "Then...I open the Overlay Network!"

Bisque and Dreary became circling orbs of light as reality split to allow the summoning void in. "_Play the melody of death and reveal the strings that control us all! End painful life with peaceful death! Rank 8! Number 40: Gimmick Puppet of Strings!" _

Rosemary stared at the portal and wing-covered sphere emerging from it, a shiver running down her spine at the thing. She could feel her spirit tensing behind her, lashing and snarling at the emergence of a new predator. _What...what is this thing? What is a 'Number?' "_

The wing unfolded, revealing a blue metal puppet. In one hand it welded a powerful blade, but the other side was almost falling off except for crisscrossing strings connecting it to the torso. The eyes were dead and hollow. (3000/2000)

Ryou didn't notice or didn't care about Rosemary's sudden attack of fear. "I activate the effect of Gimmick Puppet of Strings! I detache one Overlay Unit and all your monsters gain a String Counter! _Melody of Mayhem!" _

Gimmick Puppet of Strings drew its sword across the strings in its body, producing a twisted melody that had the audience cheering and Rosemary's magicians clutching their ears in pain. It left them easy prey as the strings lashed out of the darkness to tangle them all up.

"I open the Overlay Network one more time! I overlay my two Magnet Dolls! _Write the climax of the play called life! Death is the only certainty! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet - Playdead Rite!" _His new monster was a puppet dressed in fine clothes, sitting at a desk and writing on a piece of pachment in sloppy excitement. The ink he was using was red. (2000/2000)

"Gimmick Puppet of Strings attacks Lemon Magician Girl! _Heaven's Blade!_" The giant puppet didn't even to move forwards, its arm extending as it swung to slam its blade into the struggling magician girl. Rosemary and her monster cried out in pain. (RLP: 6100-4900)

"Playdead Rite attacks! _Death Sentence!_" The puppet didn't even look up from his script, a slash of his quill producing a blade of blood that slammed into Lemon like a spear and stressing her restraints. (RLP: 4900-2900)

Rosemary felt her body burn from the backlash and swayed before catching herself. _The pain is so sharp! I feel like I took those attacks instead of Lemon!_

"It's okay, Rosemary." Ryou said placatingly, a kindly uncle reassuring a worried child with a scraped knee. "The pain will be over soon. And it'll be all better."

"Be...be silent!" Rosemary found her footing and lifted her head to glare at him. "I refuse to listen to anything you have to say, you bastard!"

His face fell, but he nodded and slid a card into his disk. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"Draw!" Rosemary ripped the card free. _I cannot get hit by those attacks again! _"From my hand, I activate Pot of Greed! I draw twice!" SHe drew twice and flipped a card around. "I activate Spellbook of Knowledge, sending Allure Queen to the graveyard to draw twice again!" The regal monster winked out, her strings going limp before vanishing as Rosemary drew again.

Green swords fell out of the Gimmick Theatre's ceiling, clanging into floor point-first. Ryou's monsters ground to a halt. "Swords of Revealing Light! You cannot attack me for three turns!"

To her surprise, Ryou didn't even look perturbed. Instead, he just lifted a hand to point at her slowly. "At the end of your turn...the second effect of Gimmick Puppet of Strings activates. All monsters on the field with String Counters are destroyed and you take damage equal to their attack points. _Heaven's Gate!" _

Rosemary's eyes widened as her two magician girls cried out in sudden pain and exploded, the force hurling her off her feet and crashing to the far wall with bruises and slashes across her clothing. (RLP: 2900-900)

The surrounding audience cheered and stamped in approval as Rosemary struggled to her feet, every movement aching. Ryou watched her, his dirty-sleet hair casting shadows over his purple eyes. "You cannot defeat me, Rosemary...and like I promised...the pain will over soon." His face became shrouded in gloom, leaving only eyes filled with ice resolve that did nothing to freeze the tear rolling down his face. "I love you too much to make it hurt."

TTTTTT

"Oh god, this crazy castle has finally gone crazy! It's like we're in an Escher Painting drawn by Picasso in the dark! Will this intrepid reporter ever find a way out? Will she ever see the sun again?"

"Dr. Lucinda, if she keeps babbling, please drug her." Sumire growled in irritation, shooting a look at where Cathy-Cathy was pacing in front of the wall of cards and well-wishes that decorated Pegasus' room. "And do so before I knock her unconscious."

"I'm sorry - talking is how I cope with panicking! Did you know I'm hugely camera shy? It's why I'm such a good commentator!" Cathy protested, tugging at the brim of her hat with both hands. "I'm always on edge!"

"And that's not going to help us." Annalissa said with that firm gentleness all medical professionals worth their salt had. "Just take a few breaths and make some notes about this so you can report on it later."

Sumire ignored their conversation as she scanned the open laptop screen. Lero had thoughtfully given her access to the castle's security systems during her stay so she could move around his home unimpeded. So now she was checking the cameras to see how bad things had gotten.

And they had gotten very bad indeed. She frowned as she paged through image after image. All of them of the castle now twisted in a parody of itself. Walls that were floors, floors that were ceilings with paints, tables, flowers and more hanging from them like they were bolted. Staircases now twisted endlessly around themselves in ever-tightening spirals. The battlements were rounded and smooth along the top or jagged like a row of spikes. One of the cameras was pointed at the bleak, blighted sky - the note said it was attached to the tower and the only way it could be like that is if the tower cone it was mounted on was inverted.

"It is a small miracle we made it to this room." Sumire murmured to herself as she kept going through the images. They'd been just down the hall, but they'd had to physically climb up said hallway like it was a rockwall.

"Have you been able to locate anyone else?" Annalissa looked from where she was reassuring Cathy.

"Yes." Sumire switched screens, this one displaying a top-down map of the castle itself. There were six labeled dots scattered around the castle in random rooms. And a cluster of dots near the center. "These dots are pings off the duelists' Duel Disks. The Bleeding Edge system reads a duelists' vitals as well, so everyone is still alive."

"Thank heaven for small favors." Annalissa came up, leaning over her shoulder to look at the screen. "Can you bring up any visuals?"

"No. I haven't managed to get the eyepieces connected to the castle's video system - it's not capable of handling that high of resolution." The Egyptian woman pointed at a small window tucked at the screen's corner. "But the Duel Disks are all active, so I assume they're dueling."

"Probably whatever is behind this mess." Annalissa spared a glance out the window and the photo-negative sky outside. "My family has a history with magical things, but this is beyond my expertise."

"As it is mine, but we should be able to help anyway." Sumire was tapping away. "I can activate Battle Royale Mode on the Duel Disks from here. The Pros will be able to help Bellerophon and our friends."

"That's clever, but the castle's looking like something out of Alice in Wonderland - they won't be able to navigate it."

Sumire didn't know what Alice in Wonderland was, but nodded anyway. "That is the crux of the problem."

"Umm...I can help, or maybe try to help, which would be not quite helping but in times like this, attempting to help is just like helping and we all need to our part or it's gonna all be in pieces." Cathy cut herself off as the two other women looked at her. "My camera drones are still in the lunchroom. You can control them by remote and walk them through castle."

"That's brilliant, thank you, Cathy." Sumire watched as the commentator dug through her sleeve and pulled off a wrist control. She passed it over and Sumire plugged it into the laptop. More key clicking and then she frowned. "There is still a problem - from this distance, I can only control the cameras as a single cluster."

"Well, yeah. They're camera drones - they don't have the brainpower to do anything fancy but basic commands and not bump into anything." Cathy said apologetically. "Manual control is just them playing follow the leader."

"Not good enough - we have six duelists engaged right now and it will take too long to lead them help one by one." Sumire's lips thinned in thought and she glanced around the room, searching for inspiration. Her eyes fell on Pegasus' sleeping form and the blinking headset on his temples. "Dr. Lucinda, there should have been a second headset of that type. Is it in this room?"

"Yes." Annalissa moved over to one of the drawers on the far end of Pegasus' bed, rummaging around and then tossed Sumire the headset pieces. "Here."

"Wait - what are you going to do?" Cathy asked in confusion as Sumire fit the headset into place. "That's still just going to give you manual control…"

"No. The Bleeding Edge technology is advanced enough to generate cards and effects from the user's memory. Letting me control six drones will be child's play for it." Sumire felt the odd tingle through her skull as the headset activated and then grabbed the wrist remote. "Now - do your drones have speakers?"

TTTTTT

The fog around them thickened with darkness and cold as if some great, vile force was panting in eagerness to consume the pain and fear that was about to happen. The dead spun silently on their ropes, slack dead faces doubling as rictus hunger with vacant eyes now mirroring fanaticism of an audience ready to howl for blood. Panik himself was almost immaterial in the fog, brief moments of his bulk's indistinctness magnifying his darkness and presence to the point the endless forest seemed to be less his prison and more an extension of his desire to kill.

All this crashed into Kaede with the same success an ocean wave had trying to wash away a boulder, her calm, icy demeanor scattering everything into harmless foam. Confidence and ruthless made her eyes jagged emeralds that bored into Panik's dark ones, coat flapping around her in the frigid breeze.

The tension grew heavier and the dead grass below began to curl even further as frost developed. Nooses creaked in lieu of a ticking clock.

"You seem so calm and eager to die, little Mouto." Panik rumbled into the silence. "Finally feeling at home here?"

Kaede's lips curled in a sneer. "Just thinking about how fitting this place is for you. Nothing to get in the way of you hearing your own voice."

"Your brash words will break the monotony with screams soon enough!" Panik raised his arm, drawing his opening hand.

"Really? You're an Eliminator and talk like that is your opener? As a professional myself, I find that sad." Kaede drew as well. "Don't worry - I'll give you a firsthand example of how to make someone afraid of you. Which means I'm first!"

She snapped up her sixth card. "I activate Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two." She did so quickly, then slapped down another card. "I summon Archfiend Cavalry in attack mode." Hooves echoed as a demon in heavy red armor galloped out, his lance a drill of energy and his mount pulsing with the same power. (1900/0)

Grabbing another card, she swept it into her disk and it appeared behind her monster. "Then I set one card face-down. That ends my turn. Don't be upset if you think it's not scary enough - it's called 'building tension.' "

"Tension doesn't even whet the appetite of the denizens here - fear works so much better! I draw!" Panik did so and held up a card. "I summon the Tour Guide of the Underworld in attack mode." In a flash of light, a woman in a crisp blue uniform and adorable fangs appeared. She waved a white-gloved hand and bowed to Kaede. "And when I summon this monster, I can summon a level three Fiend from my deck!" (1000/700)

Tour Guide reached out and opened a door that wasn't there a moment before, letting a demon made of raw red and blue fires step through with each step hissing on the frosted ground. "This is Possessed Dark Soul." (1200/1000)

He thrust out a hand, fingers splayed. "These monsters are not much alone, but they will become the pathway to a more terrifying power! I open the Overlay Network with these two level three monsters!" The two monsters warped into shadowy orbs that split reality. "_The brilliant light of light casts the darkest shadow that is death! From beyond the pale, consume the shine of the living! Rank 3! Number 48: Shadow Lich!" _

Yellow eyes faded into existence, glaring in hatred out of the hood and the frosty win granted brief silhouettes of a skeleton as it tugged at the ribboning tattered scraps of red cloak. (1800/0)

Kaede stared at the monster, keeping her face calm. But she could feel the monster's presence washing over her with far more realness than it had a right to. _Is this what it feels like to face a Duel Spirit?_

"I activate my monster's ability! By detaching one of the Overlay Units, I can summon four Phantom Tokens! _Shadows of Death!_" A skeletal claw lifted out of the robes and seized one of the circling lights, crushing it. As it died, the monster's shadow spread out in both directions across the ground like wings. Then it broke apart and each piece lifted itself free to resolve into identical copies of Shadow Lich. (500/0x4)

Panik chuckled at Kaede's flat expression. "You'll see why this monster is terrifying soon enough. I set one card face-down and end my turn!" He'd barely gotten the words out when Archfiend Cavalry exploded in a burst of fire. "What?!"

"Looks like my Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness is scarier than your bad fashion reject," Kaede smirked as out of the blaze of her monster's death, a dog-sized winged marot leapt out and hissed in anger at Paink. "Since he was in my graveyard during your End Phase, I can destroy a monster on my field and revive him!" (1500/200)

The flames of her Cavalry's death spread and exploded upwards above the treeline, a pair of red eyes snapping open within them. "When Archfiend Cavalry dies due to a monster effect, I can revive another Archfiend in my graveyard! Such as the Archfiend Emperor, First Lord of Horrors!"

A gust of icy wind scattered the flames to reveal the monolithic form of her monster. It was hard to tell if his body was covered in armor or was just that tough as he towered above the trees. But there was no mistaking the dark look in his eyes or dangerous edge of his tree-sized bastard sword. (3000/2000)

"My move, draw!" Kaede drew. "From my hand, I summon Fiendish Rhino!" Her new monster was positively tiny compared to the size of her Emperor, a bipedal rhino burly with muscle and wielding a jagged sword. "Now you can't destroy my fiends!" (1400/900)

A card fell out of her graveyard and she held it up to reveal Archfiend Cavalry. "By banishing an Archfiend card from my graveyard, Emperor can destroy one card on your field! So whatever your Number is amounts to nothing! _Emperor's Grip!" _

The Emperor leaned forwards, snaring up the center Shadow Lich and squeezing with a booming chuckle. To Kaede's surprise, the monster didn't explode when crushed - just became wisps of its cloak. "What?!"

Panik sneered in amusement. "Shadow Lich summoned its tokens for more than numbers - if you would destroy it by any means, it swaps places with a token! You'll never kill it until they're all gone!"

Kaede just shook her head. "So the stories dad tells about you are true - you do just like to hide like a coward!" Her lips curled up as Panik growled. "Let me show you how a real fight works! Fiendish Rhino! Destroy one of those Phantom Tokens! _Sword Charge!" _

Panik watched as the demonic rhino charged forwards, head lowered. "He charges to his death like a blind fool! I reveal my set card - Token Stampede! Now all my tokes gain one thousand attack!" Energy flowed out of the trap and into three of the floating cloaks. Rhino slammed into one and it just shredded him apart in a flurry of suddenly razor-sharp clothing. (500-1500x3) (KLP:7900)

"Even in death, my monsters have a purpose. Rhino's effect activates because you sent him to the graveyard - I send another Fiend to the graveyard like my Archfiend Heiress. And Heiress herself lets me search for one more card." She grabbed a card from her deck. "But it's still my battle phase, so Emperor attacks the tokens on the far right!"

The Emperor lifted his sword, the sheer act of it causing the trees to rock and bodies sway while the phantoms she hadn't targeted were buffeted away. Panik scowled as the sword came down right for his monsters. "No! My monster!"

The sword's impact kicked up a ring of frost as it hit...squarely into the palm of Shadow Lich's upraised arm. The lich glared at the massive demon assaulting it and then its cloak sprang to life, whirling like blades. There was a flash of motion and then black blood gouted down to stain the stone as the head of the Archfiend Emperor crashed down between them.

Panik laughed at Kaede's expression. "When Shadow Lich battles, it can make its attack power equal to the combined total of its tokens! That means its points weren't eighteen hundred - they were sixty-three hundred! So down with the monarchy!" (18000-1500-1500-1500-6300)

The Emperor exploded violently, Kaede bracing herself as blood and snow spattered itself all over her. "Tch…! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" (KLP: 7900-4600)

"Draw!" Panik drew. "One of my Phantom Tokens attacks your Marmot! _Shadow Grasp!" _ The token floated forwards, ends of the cloak flashing and ending the marmot's angry hiss with an abrupt squelching noise. "Now the other two attack directly!"

"No thanks - reverse card open! Call of the Archfiend! I discard a Fiend and revive my Emperor in defense mode!" The ground erupted again as the massive fiend clawed free of his grave. As he did, pixels gathered in front of Kaede and resolved in a horizontal brown-backed card. "And the monster I discarded was Terrifying Toddler of Torment, which summons itself in defense mode."

"Then I use Shadow Lich's effect and let him attack the Emperor!" The token retreated and the real one launched forwards, glowing as its attack power shot up. (6300)

Halfway there, a clang echoed across the field as one of the Tokens was shoved into a demonic suit of armor. The armor's eyes glowed and Shadow Lich whirled around to attack its imprisoned doppelganger. "The trap card Attack Guidance Armor forces your Shadow Lich to attack one of the tokens!"

"A fruitless effort - Token Stampede keeps my Tokens from dying!" Panik laughed as the blade edges of his cloak glanced harmlessly over him. "And I take no battle damage from Phantom Tokens!"

He pulled two cards free and swept them into his disk, grin garish at Kaede's cool expression. "You look so calm, but I know you can feel it! The fear and helplessness that nothing you do will stop me or my monster! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

Keade drew, shaking her head. "There you go again - talking tough. But all I hear is how scared you are - hiding behind something 'invincible'. You're not an Eliminator, you're a prop." She pointed at her set card and it flipped, revealing the regally-dressed demon child. "When I flip up my Terrifying Toddler, I can send a fiend to the graveyard! I repeat my Rhino and Heiress combo!"

Adding a new card to her deck, she slapped it down. "Then I summon Archfiend Horrorpawn!" Her new monster was a squat demon in armor, but there was no skin or eyes - just muscle, bone and metal all fused together. (1200/200)

"This monster is a tuner and so I now tune it together with my Terrifying Toddler!" The demon blew apart into two spheres of light that circled the little demon. _"In the depths of hell, the only religion is pain and the only joy, the roll of the dice! Bless them in death and blood! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Archfiend Checker Cardinal!" _

A bell toll heralded her monster's arrival, a demon dressed in the crimson robes of a Catholic cardinal that was fitted under bony armor and his staff was a pike with skulls on the prongs. He knelt, not in prayer, but in defense mode. (800/1900)

Her field slot popped open and she shoved a card into it. "Then I activate the field spell Imperial Pandemonium! The place where my Emperor rules!" Flames spread from her in a ring, melting away the frost and crawling up the trees to burn away all the greenery. Brimstone filled the air and bleak stone sprouted around until they were standing in a courtyard with a giant throne behind her that her Emperor seated himself in.

"Hnnn...how fitting a change…" Panik drawled. "But you can't warm your bones from the chill of fear here!"

"That's what I should say to you." Kaede held up a copy of Archfiend Heiress. "I banish this monster from the graveyard to destroy one of your tokens! _Emperor's Grip!" _Her emperor reached down and crushed one of the tokens with a casual flex of his fingers. Nearby, one of the braziers ignited sharply. "Because an Archfiend effect destroyed a card, my field spell gains one counter. That ends my turn."

"For all your talk, you forget you're the one on the defensive! But even that won't save you!" Panik drew with a mocking laugh and his two set cards lifted. "I activate another Token Stampede and then Meteorrain! Now all my monsters inflict piercing damage!" (1500-2500x2)

One of the Tokens shot forwards and the demon groaned in pain as the tattered blades of the cloak punched through his body to pin him to the throne. He shattered and Kaede braced herself as the piece showered down around her. (KLP: 4600-4100)

"The effect of Imperial Pandemonium endures beyond the emperor! When an Archfiend monster is destroyed, I can search my deck for another!" Kaede added the card to her hand, her Checker Cardinal lifting one hand and a red-crystal die appeared in above its hand. "Now Checker Cardinal will judge your actions for destroying an Archfiend! The die roll determines your punishment!"

"A die roll? Even when I was alive, those effects were the desperate hope of fools!" Panik sneered.

"The only fool here is you - I activate the other effect of Imperial Pandemonium! I can expend a counter when the Archfiends gamble and ensure the result! Checker, consume this lost soul and give the die my chosen number!" Kaede watched as the flames of the brazier leapt into her Checker as the die began to spin around before settling on a four. "This effect puts all your monsters in defense mode!"

Panik gaped as his liches all drew their cloaks tighter around themselves and became more immaterial. (0x3) "My monsters!"

"- are about to be nothing but more lost souls in Pandemonium!" Kaede drew. "During my Standby Phase, I choose to pay five hundred life points to ensure my Cardinal's effects remain active!" A glow surrounded her, being pulled out of her to ignite one of the braziers. (KLP: 3600)

She grabbed another card from her hand and held it out, bones and armor flying out of the darkness to pile together and transform themselves into her squat cackling demon. "Revival of the Archfiend brings back Archfiend Horrorpawn!"

Horrorpawn held out his palm and a green die appeared there. "He can roll a die to change his level if the result is one or three ! I expand the counter to make it one!" The brazier's flames danced around Horrorpawn as he rolled, the heat scorching the die so all the sides showed a single dot. "Now I make his level one and tune him with my Checker Cardinal!"

Her pawn blew apart into another ring of light that began to transform her Cardinal. _"Gifted power and glory, yet they are the shackles that remind you of your weakness! Your reign is a noose! Synchro Summon! Level 6! Terrrorking Archfiend Exalted!" _

Heavy armor decked out in gold leaf and blood gemstones on the giant battle axe he had gave him a regally dangerous appearance, yet there was a ruthless fury on his face that ruined the look. (2800/2300)

"Twenty-eight hundred - on a level six monster?" Panik gaped as the demon king gripped his battleaxe in preparation.

"The game's changed while you've been away! Now Terrorking! Attack the original Shadow Lich!" The demon roared and charged, wielding his axe in one hand like it was nothing. "And since he negates the effects of a monster he battles, you can't save it!"

Panik grit his teeth as the axe came down and sliced the lich into pieces. "My Number-"

"Let's focus on mine, why don't we? When Terrorking destroys a monster, I can roll a die and an effect is activated!" Terrorking produced a die in his free hand and instead of rolling it, crushed it in his grip. Smoke wafted between his fingers to resolve into a three. "Now he can attack again!"

The axe sheered through a Phantom Token and Panik felt himself shoved backwards from the force of the blow. Terrorking sneered at him, produced another die and crushed it. A one floated above that fist. "What's that do?!"

"It means one monster on the field is destroyed!" Terrorking's hand shoved into the mass of the remaining token pulled, a bloody heart somehow in his grasp. He crushed it and the token exploded into.

Panik felt himself skid back again and clutched at his chest in pain.

"Aww, does losing your Number hurt, Panik?" Kaede chuckled as he lifted his head to glare at her, her expression mocking and cold. "Don't worry, it won't last - I'll take it from you when I take all of your life points!"

TTTTTTT

"Okay, I've done like a billion tournaments, yo, and I ain't never had anything like this happen!" Toppa was staring out of the open double doors and the hallway that was somehow cross-corner to the door itself. "Where there shrooms in the food again…?"

Toppa, everytime you open your mouth, I learn something that just makes me want to ask more questions." Blackwood said dryly.

"You go to the Underground, you start taking 'shrooms so everything _makes _sense…" Crypt said cryptically and then turned to Plato. "You two seem to know anything about this magical stuff. Anything we can do besides sit here and make pithy comments?"

"I don't think the castle is dangerous to us." Plato said. He was examining another doorway and the inverted space beyond. "But with how twisted everything is, I cannot be sure of the layout anymore."

"Not that we have anywhere to go." Daniel pointed out the window to where the surrounding forests were. They were now lifeless and barren, but the trees had become so dense there no way to see through them and it looked more like a field of lethal spikes than trees. "Doesn't look like there's anything useful out there and we're on an island, so escaping probably isn't any option."

"_Then the option is to fight."_

They all turned at Sumire's voice, watching as the camera drones all detached from their charging stations. _"My husband and his duelists are engaged in duels with whatever force is behind this danger. I am capable of activating Battle Royale Mode, enabling you to assist them and the drones can lead you to them. Will you duel?"_

"Please, madam, you don't even need to ask. I may not know fully what's going on, but we _are _Professional Duelists." Reginald stepped up, straightening his tie. "If this thing wants to duel, then we will give one. It will rue the day it thought could defeat us."

"Yeah! That sucka may be ignoring us, but me and my homies ain't about to just sit by and let this bad mojo down" Toppa thumped one fist into the other eagerly. "Let's go bust a 'cap in this fool!"

"I agree with Reginald and Toppa, but not as flowery or as stupidly." Crypt ignored the glowers the other two men gave him as Blackwood and Daniel both nodded. "Let's do this."

"There are six duels ongoing and six of us - we will have to be going in alone." Plato said, pulling on a Duel Disk alone. "There is no telling what we'll find Master Bellerophon and his friends involved in."

"Duel Monsters is surrounded by mysteries and secrets - this will be an opportune time to confirm many of them." Blackwood told him.

The camera drones floated in front of them. _"Please stop trying to have a moment. Time is of the essence."_

TTTTTT

The wind moaned mournfully as it swept over the sand dunes, the larger-than-life puzzle pieces echoing like a chorus of lost souls.

Kaiba chuckled. "A desert of lost souls...you'll wander into eternity and ever see anyone ever again."

"I've been biking in Death Valley, this damn place might as well be the tropics." Jackie drew her opening hand. "Now let's duel!"

She yanked a card from her hand, a large, shaggy dog appearing in front of her. "I summon Aloof Lupine and his effect lets me banish a monster from my hand to banish to the same type from my deck!" One card from her hand and deck winked out. "Then I set two cards face-down and end my turn." (1700/300)

"I draw." Kaiba glanced at his hand. "I summon Rescue Rabbit from my hand." In front of him was a small, cute rabbit wearing a rescue helmet and smiling. (300/100)

"This monster's ability activates by excluding it from play-" Kaiba held out his hand and the rabbit vanished. "And I summon two identical normal monsters from my deck! I call out two Material Lions!" Twin roars echoed as two lions leapt over the dune behind him. (1800/1500)

"Neat." Jackie rolled her shoulders in dismissal. "You've decided to raise cats instead of dragons now?"

"You think I'd play any monster that was just a cat? How naive - my monsters are always the path to greater power." Kaiba stabbed a finger at the two lions. "I send these two monsters to graveyard to fusion summon"

Both lions glowed, vanishing into each other's light and what erupted was a heavier, bulkier lion whose metal body was covered in segmented armor and a digital edge to it's roar. "Mosaic - Chimera Module! Destroy that mangy stray!" (2400/2000)

_A fusion without a spell - like his XYZ machines, but is that thing even one? Tch, you'd think after dating Sky Horse, I'd know every damn machine in the game. _Jackie braced herself as the machine surged forwards and slashed her dog into pixels with a single swipe of its claws. "The effect of Lupine activates- you destroyed it, so I get back one of my banished monsters!" (JLP: 7300)

She grabbed the square of light as it appeared in front her and swept out her hand. "Reverse card open! Soul Rope! Now I-"

"Watch your defense go up in flames! I activate Igiton from my hand!" Kaiba smirked as the card appeared, Soul Rope's image shimmering and changing. "Your card's effect now destroys one monster on the field!"

"WHy would you do that? The only monster on the field is Chimera Module!" Jackie watched as a burst of light shot out from her trap, slamming into the fusion lion and blowing it apart.

Kaiba laughed in triumph. "Confusion is a perfectly fine response to strategy! When Chimera Module is destroyed, I summon the two component monsters I used! And since it was your card effect that destroyed him, I get a third from the deck! So now I have a whole pride of lions!" Three shapes leapt out of the dunes behind to crash in front of him, fangs already bared. "Go! Feast on every one of her life points!"

The lions all charged at once, the sandy ground doing nothing to hinder them. But the eruption of sand in front of them did, the middle lion slamming into the giant hand that rose up to bar the way. "Sorry, but your cats are going to just break their fangs on this wall! My Release From Stone summons my banished Ironhammer the Giant to defend me!" (900/3500)

"Hmph. So you can at least defend. For the moment." Kaiba didn't look all that upset at his failed attack, the lions padding back to his field with low growls. "I activate the spell card Materialism! I draw one card for each Material monster in play!"

He pulled three cards free, but barely glanced at them. "Not that I need them! Material Lions! Combine and summon out Mosaic Nemean!" The lions all blurred together, spitting out a double-sized mechanical lion whose golden skin glittered in the dusky twilight of their arena. (2700/2200)

"Then I set one card face-down and end my turn." Kaiba folded his arms with a chuckle. "I hope you have Hercules in that deck…"

"I know you're dead and all, so feminism might not be your thing, but you don't ask a man to do a bitch's job! Draw!" Jackie snapped up her card. "Graceful Charity! I draw three cards, discard two!"

Raindrops landed on her deck as she drew and discarded, then slapped down a new card. An ape appeared in front of her, purple fur over corded muscle and messily devouring a piece of nameless fruit. "Bazoo the Soul Eater! And I can banish three monsters from my graveyard to raise his attack by three hundred for each!" (1600/900)

"So what if you do?" Kaiba sneered as Bazoo ripped new fruit out of the ether, devouring it messily as his whole body surged with muscle. "He's still too weak to scratch my lion's invincible skin!" (1600-2500)

"But he's got enough to rip a hunk of your smug ass, rich-boy! Ironhammer the Giant's effect! One monster on my field can attack directly!" The giant glowed blue, a similar glow surrounding Bazoo. "Hit him with _Beat Rush!" _

Bazoo screamed a battle cry, beating his chest and charging in a wild frenzy. Only for him to plummet out of sight. "What the-"

"I told you confusion was an appropriate response to strategy." Kaiba mocked and gestured to his now face-up card. "This is Fusion Trench! Now all monsters that are not fusions cannot cross it and thus, cannot attack!"

"Damn it." Jackie's lips thinned under her mask as Bazoo climbed back into view, his rage wasted. "End turn!"

"Draw." Kaiba picked up the card and flipped it around. "I activate Forbidden Substance! This spell gives my lion the ability to attack twice"

Jackie's eyes flicked to Bazoo.

"Don't think so small - Fusion Trench has another effect!" Kaiba laughed as Mosaic Nemean sprinted forwards, leaping forwards and right between Jackie's monsters. "If I don't summon this turn, a fusion monster I control can attack directly! _Great Golden Scratch!" _

Jackie screamed as the lion slashed across her chest twice, throwing her off her feet and clutching at her chest. She tasted sand, spat it out and wished the pain would leave that easy. _It felt like he hit me with a sledgehammer! _(JLP: 7300-4600-1900)

"No, please, get back up! Mosaic Nemean and I will enjoy knocking you down again! In fact, why wait!" Kaiba lifted one hand, a heady growl building up in his lion. "When Nemean Lion deals you damage, I destroy one card on the field! _Nemean Roar!_"

Mosaic Nemean roared, the act generating a blazing wave of sand and sound that eroded Bazoo and Ironhammer like they were nothing. Jackie caught the edge of it, went crashing back down a sand dune.

She crawled back up the sand, onto her feet. "One lucky hit doesn't -" Her words died in her throat as a plastic clicking noise came from her right hand, which she'd been clenching into a fist.

"Oh, noticed did you?" Kaiba mocked lightly as she stared at the offending limp, opening and closing it to stare at the neat, right angle lines running through it now. "This is a place where puzzles die...so when I defeat you, I'll scatter your pieces to the winds!"

_The fuck is this?! My hand has sensation, but… ! _Jackie's eyes widened a few black Lego pieces tumbled through her line of sight. She didn't have to reach to feel that they'd come from her hair. _All of me is turning into a fucking toy! _

"I set one card face-down." It appeared in front of him and he nodded at Jackie, his grin ruthless. "It's your turn...and try not to fall to pieces on me!"

"You wish! Draw!" Jackie ripped her card free. "I activate the continuous spell card Guidance To Ore! Then I set one monster and one card behind it! End turn!"

"Your barks have such confidence, but then - most turtles believe in the fantasy of the invincible shell! Draw!" Kaiba drew. "Mosaic Nemean, uses the effect of Fusion Trench and crack that shell wide open with a direct attack!"

The lion bounded over the gap again, but Jackie slammed a finger on a button. "I activate Staunch Defender! So your big cat has to play with my set monster instead!"

Nemean smashed both paws on the set card and it shattered...only to reform into a burly-chested wild-haired man in a tattered gi. With a snarl, he seized the lion's mane and spun, hurling the monster twice his size into the air like an actual kitten. "And it's Legendary Jujitsu Master! Any monster that battles him gets a judo throw right back to the top of the deck!"

Kaiba's eyes widened as his cat rippled like a mirage before vanishing, then he gave Jackie a dark look as her monster blew apart."You weak cur, treating my Nemean so casually…!"

"You can call me a bitch - it'd be the first thing you said that I could stand!" Jackie snapped her fingers and Guidance to Ore glowed, spitting out a second copy of her Jujitsu Master. "My spell summons a duplicate of any rock monster you kill." (1300/1800)

"I summon a monster!" Kaiba slapped down the card, a yellowish broad monster with a little snout and small paws poking free. "Material Armadillo in defense mode!" (600/2000)

"Pff, you know what? You're right - turtling is a bit cheap, So why don't I try your play? First, I activate Zombie World!" Jackie laughed as a ring spread from her feet, twisting the sand into a quagmire filled with oozing, brackish liquids, bones and something alive crawling through the puddles. Her mask shifted from void to more than a dozen gaping wounds glaring out at Kaiba. "All monsters in play and in the graveyard become zombies!"

She grabbed another card. "Polymerization! I fuse Legendary Jujitsu Master and The Earth-Hex Sealed Fusion as Monk Fighter to summon Master Monk Quan!" Her new monster was a bald monk in an orange gi and wielding a two-handed bladed staff. Under the effects of Zombie World, his skin became mottled and twisted, clothing falling apart. (2200/2200)

Her deck churned and then spat out a card. "Miracle Rupture lets me send a rock to the graveyard to draw one card!" She shoved the card into her graveyard. "Then Phantasmal Fusion lets me banish Zombies from my graveyard to fusion summon! The Earth-Hex Sealed Fusion and Labyrinth Wall become Wall Shadow!"

Shadows appeared in front of her, claws slashing them open from the inside so a six-eyed green monster could peer free. (1600/300)

"Battle! Thanks to the effect of Fusion Trench, Master Monk Quan attacks you directly! _Spear Stab!_" The monk twirled his weapon and lashed out, the spear tip launching on a hidden chain to slam into Kaiba's chest. (KLP: 8000-6800)

"And Wall Shadow can attack directly on its own! _Assasination Slash!_" Wall Shadow retreated into the shadows and Kaiba staggered as its claws erupted out of his own shadow, driving into the backs of his knees and dropping him. (KLP: 5800-4200)

"You cur…!" Kaiba hissed as he staggered back to his feet.

"Yeah, real scary - you know fancy words." Jackie snorted. "End turn!"

"That confidence - I'll shatter it beneath my heel!" Kaiba drew. "I activate Recycling Material! I shuffle Material monsters from my hand and graveyard into my deck, then I add differently named Materials to my hand! I shuffle my two Material Lions into my deck, then add Material Bat and Material Dragon!"

He added the cards to his hand, a new spell appearing in front of him. "Then I activate the continuous spell Material Gathering - I can summon two Materials each turn! Come out, Material Bat! Material Dragon!" A quasi-mechanical bat flew down while a horse-sized dragon clawed free of the sand. (1200/1700) (1900/1300)

_For being a ghost, he's still got the skills. _Jackie clenched her teeth. _Does anything I do to him slow him down?_

"I activate Materialism! I draw three cards! Then I send my three Materials to the graveyard! Descend and crush her, Mosaic Wyvern!" Kaiba laughed as the three monsters blurred together, spawning a dragon with black wings and blue body overlain jagged red armor. (2600/1900)

He smirked as Jackie's eyes flicked between her monsters. "You think I can't attack you with Fusion Trench because I summoned other monsters this turn, but Wyvern doesn't need my trap to hurt you! It just has to halve its damage! Go Wyvern! _Composite Flames!_"

"Shit-" Jackie threw up her arms as the Wyvern took flight, breathing tri-colored flames in the gap between her monsters that glassed the sand under her. When it ended, she clutched at her chest, breathing hard and tried very hard to ignore the fact bits and pieces of her will plinking to the ground. "Shit, shit…!" (JLP: 1900- 600)

"You're still standing. Impressive. I can see what you're made of!" Kaiba laughed as she flipped him off, only for pieces of her finger to fall away. "Your pathetic display will end now! When Mosaic Wyvern deals damage, I revive one Mosaic monster!" The sand beside Wyvern erupted as the gold-covered form of Mosaic Nemean erupted free. "Destroy her Wall Shadow! _Great Golden Scratch!" _

Nemean charged, leaping over the Fusion Trench and Wall Shadow melted away into its shadow and leaving a brick wall behind. "When you attack Wall Shadow, I can change its battle position!" The fusions' claws caused sparks as they ground against the wall harmlessly. (KLP: 4200-3900)

"Heh. Still think you can be safe in your shell, turtle? The cracks are starting to show…I set one card face-down." Kaiba plugged the card into his disk. "End turn!"

"Draw!" Jackie tried to ignore how her fingers were missing neat, cubic pieces and every motion caused her to give off plastic ratcheting noises. "I summon Shutendoji in defense mode." A burly demon in a loincloth appeared kneeling, knocking back drinks from his sake bottle. "This monster's effect lets me banish two zombies to draw one card!" (1500/800)

Removing her two chosen cards, she drew again. "Now! Master Monk Quan attacks Mosaic Wyvern! _Spear Stab!" _

"Rushing to your death-" Kaiba' smirk failed as Quan's chain spear slammed into his monster's chest..and launched Wyvern past him like a soccerball, the monster screeching in annoyance as it crashed into dune. "What!"

"Quan can negate his own destruction, reduce the damage to zeo and then bounce the monster's he's battling!" Jackie smirked as Quan reeled his chain in, the fusion's pieces trailing after it.

"Don't be so cocky - when a Mosaic leaves the field, Material Gathering summons a Material from my deck or graveyard! Come back, Material Armadillo." Kaiba snapped his fingers and the little monster reappeared.

"Fine by me! Your soccer ball can't protect you! Wall Shadow! _Assasination Slash!_" The ghoul burst out of Kaiba' shadow and clawed his back. (KLP: 3900-2300)

"One card face-down." Jackie swept it into her disk. "End turn!"

"Draw!" Kaiba snapped up his card. "Foolish Burial! I send one monster from my deck to my graveyard!" He shoved a Material Lion into his graveyard and then snapped up his hand. "By the effect of Fusion Trench, Nemean attacks you directly! Now perish and be scattered to the winds!"

The lion leap the trench, claws extended and Jackie snapped her fingers, her set card lifting. Bats exploded from it, hurling the fusion back where it had come from. "I activate Red Ghost Moon! I discard a Zombie, gain life points equal to Nemean's attack and then end the Battle Phase!" The bats returned to Jackie, landing all over her and melting into her body as her life points rose. (JLP: 600-3300)

"You're only delaying the inevitable! I set one more card face-down!" Kaiba sneered. "End turn!"

"Draw!" Jackie did so, trying to hide the sense of relief she felt at the realization her hand was looking more whole. "Quan attacks Nemean! _Spear Stab!" _

"I activate the trap Mosaic Masterpiece and it equips to Nemean!" Kaiba didn't flinch as Quan's spear slammed into his Nemean and threw it behind him.

"You didn't stop the attack, so Quan bounces him!" Jackie watched as the fusion glowed and then exploded violently. "Now what?!"

"My trap - since my Mosaic monster was going to leave the field, it was destroyed by the trap instead. Meaning it summons Material monsters from my deck! I summon two Material Lions!" The pieces glowed, reforming into two smaller roaring lions.

"Then the effect of Material Gathering summons Material Dragon!" The sand exploded up as the dragon clawed its way free.

"Fine! Wall Shadow attacks directly! _Assasination Slash! _" Jackie smiled in satisfaction as her monster slashed across Kaiba's chest from his shadow. " Set one card face-down! I end my turn!" (KLP: 2300-800)

She glanced down at her remaining set card. _He's got enough Materials to make another Mosaic, but I drew Spirit Shield this round. Even if he destroys it, Quan won't take any damage in a fight and Wall Shadow can just go to defense mode or change columns to dodge. I've got this._

"I draw-!" He caught sight of the card and chuckled. "I activate Magic Planter, sending Fusion Trench to the graveyard to draw two more cards!" The trap shattered. "Then I summon another Material Bat!"

The little bat appeared and his remaining set card lifted. "Gift of the Mystical Elf! Her holy spell gives me three hundred life points for every monster we have in play and there are eight!" The trap glowed and a similar one surrounded him as his life points rose. (KLP: 800-3200)

He flipped around a spell card. "Time to crack your shell wide up for good, turtle! I activate DNA Grafting! This spell turns all monsters on the field to one monster type I choose for this round, overriding your Zombie World! I pick Warrior!"

_Warrior? What? Shouldn't he have gone for Dragon?" _Jackie watched as all five Material monsters began to gleam with fresh metal armor and weapons strapped everywhere. _He's got enough monsters for Five God Dragon._

"With my two Material Lions, Material Armadillo, Material Dragon and Material Bat, I open the Overlay Network! _The standard bearing of power now descends! The souls of the sacrificed become strength absolute! Rank 4! Number 86: Heroic Champion Rhongomyniad!" _Kaiba laughed in triumph as his five monsters became orbiting spheres of light as a new form took shape on his field.

White armor trimmed in gold covered the warrior from head-to-toe, the number '86' emblazoned on his left leg. His lance was golden, fitted with a red gemstone under the blade and he twirled it expertly before settling into a combat stance. (1500/1500)

"More Xyz...great…" Jackie tensed at the sight of the monster, though she couldn't put a finger on why. "For all your set-up, that monster is weaker than Wall Shadow!"

"Rhongomyniad gains effects depending on the number of materials it has. Since it has three or more, his stats double." Kaiba smirked as his monster glowed with energy. (3000/3000)

The Xyz raised his lance and it began to shine, energy gathering in the jewel. "Let me demonstrate another of his powers! _Destruction Wave!" _

Rhongomyniad slashed the weapon to the air, unleashing an ever-expanding crescent of white light that swallowed Jackie's vision and her field. She heard Quan cry out in the light, Wall Shadow screeching and then a series of pixelated explosions. When it cleared, her field was completely bare. "A field nuke!?"

"At five materials, his power is unrivaled! Rhongomyniad! Direct attack on her life points! _Spear Of Destiny!" _Kaiba laughed again as the warrior shot across the field and slammed his weapon into Jackie point-first. She went flying backwards, trailing Lego-like parts of her body as she hit the sand rolled wildly a couple of times. "Looks like that turtle shell isn't made of very stern stuff!" (JLP: 3300-300)

Jackie was barely listening. She got to her feet, but it was only a reflex action - she could see the pieces of herself strewn ahead of her. Bile rose in her throat and she hugged herself, the automatic action only resulting in the feeling of hard plastic edges and studs where her ribs should have been. The bile rose again and found an escape out her mouth onto the sand.

It was bits of plastic stained with blood and her mouth felt raw.

_Shit! Shit! Shit! _The thought was a hammer blow in her skull, trying to beat down the raw panic she could feel welling up. _It's just gone from mid-game to end game in a turn and I don't even know what his monster's capable of!_

The panic burned away in the face of determination as she recalled the words she'd shared with Lero not even hours before. _So what? I've dealt with worse before! This rich punk with his bad haircut and stupid smile can't scare me!_

"Oh? You can still choose to fight after that?" Kaiba cocked an eyebrow as Jackie marched back to her spot, eyes hard through her mask. "With desert sands swallowing you up piece by piece?"

"You think looking like a kid's lego project scares me, jackass? I've been a freak all my life -!" Jackie spat, uncaring that what she was spitting was a blood-stained Lego stud. "Looking like one is just like putting on my favorite jacket; it's natural!"

Kaiba laughed again. "That last blow must have knocked some screws loose, because all I hear is the barking of a mangy cur too stupid to know when she's beaten." He folded his arms. "So I end my turn - and on my next, I'm putting you down for good!"

TTTTTT

"Let's begin." The Puppeteer manipulated his doll controls, his wooden proxy drawing a card. "I activate One for One, discarding a card to summon Doll Part Red from my deck in defense mode." With a hollow clatter, a pair of broken doll legs dropped to the ground in defense mode. (0/0)

"Then I set one card face-down." The card appeared in a flash of light behind his monster. "I end my turn."

_A Doll Chimera deck? It fits the theme - but is hardly practical. Is this his real deck when he cannot mimic someone who's dead? _Verthy pushed the thoughts away. "Draw!"

"I activate D-Mind! Since I have no monsters in play, I can summon a level three D-Hero from my deck! Come on, Dragonguy!" In a burst of black fire, the gauntlet-wearing hero appeared. (700/1400)

A giant crystal sprouted on her field, then shattered to reveal a warrior covered in diamonds. "Then from my hand I summon Diamond Dude!" (1400/1600)

Diamond Dude began to shine. "Now my monsters' abilities! Diamond Dude lets me check the top card of my deck!" She picked it up, revealing Destiny Draw and then slid it in the graveyard. "Then Dragonguy! Once per turn, you take seven damage! _Dragon Flames!"_

The surrounding puppets all shuddered and clumped together to get away from the flames her monster spewed at the Puppeteer. He himself, however, didn't even flinch as they burned over him. (PLP: 7300)

"Dragonguy! Attack that Doll Part! _Destiny Fire!_" Dragonguy fired again, two quick bursts that hit the broken doll parts so hard they shattered.

"Reverse card open." The Puppeteer tugged on a string and the card lifted. "Necro Dollmeister. Since I lost one Doll Part, I can summon two more in attack mode." The trap glowed and spat out a pair of broken doll arms and a doll head whose single eye stared vacantly at nothing. "Doll Parts Yellow and Blue." (0/0x2)

"Diamond Dude! Attack Doll Part Yellow! _Diamond Blast!_" Diamond Dude raised his arms, firing crystals from it like a machine gun that perforated the broken doll arms. "I set one card face-down! End turn!" (PLP: 7300-5900)

"Mine begins." He drew. "I activate Doll Parts Shuffle. I shuffle Doll Parts from my hand into my deck, the draw the same number plus one." He shuffled two into his deck and drew three cards. "Then I play Doll Hammer."

A giant mallet appeared above the field and smashed Doll Parts Blue without any remorse. To shield himself from the fragments, Dragonguy knelt and drew his cape around him. "I destroy a monster I control, draw two more cards and change a monster you control to defense mode."

His little doll drew for him again and his eyes widened briefly at the sight of one of them. "Ahhh and the piece I was waiting for has made it to my hands. I summon the cursed heart, Doll Part Black!" (0/0)

Verthy felt her face twist in disgust as a heart appeared on the floor in front of him. It was jet black, string dangling off it like veins and arteries as it throbbed slowly in a decidedly non-human rhythm. "Disturbing!"

"Via the effect of this cursed artifact, I summon four differently named Doll Parts from my graveyard or hand! So I summon Doll Parts Blue, Red, Yellow and Pink!" The broken arms, legs and head all reappeared and were joined by an equally damaged looking torso. (0/0x4)

His doll proxy held up another tiny card and the five monsters were pulled into a swirl of light. "Polymerization unites all five of my doll pieces into something new! _Long forgotten, the memories of past love coalesce into a nightmare! Embrace the love from the outer planes! Level 5! Doll Chimera Remodeled!" _

With a playful giggle, the new monster stepped out of the portal. The pieces had come together to create a humanoid doll, but damage had not been repaired. Instead, the holes provided windows of seething, oily blackness underneath that would spawn writhing tentacles at random. (2000/2000)

"I take what I said back - _that _is disturbing." Verthy grimaced at the sight of the monster. _Dolls possessed by Lovecraftian horrors - Bellerophon has a lot to answer for when I see him next!_

"Doll Chimera Remodeled attacks Dragonguy!" The tentacles erupted out of all the holes at once, lashing around the hero and straining to pull him apart.

"Dragonguy's effect! I reveal the top card of my deck and if it is a hero, your attack is negated!" Verthy flipped the card around, revealing the field spell Dark City. She closed her eyes as Dragonguy hollered and was ripped into pieces that thankfully pixelated before they started bleeding.

"When Remodeled destroys a monster in battle, I can send two more Doll Parts to the graveyard to allow her to attack again!" Two more Doll Parts dropped into the graveyard and the tendrils ensnared Diamond Dude, heedless of his jagged body as they tore him apart. "And one more! Direct attack!"

This time, the tendrils arced like whips to lash across Verthy's body and she cried out as she staggered from the force. (VLP: 8000-7400-5400)

"Reverse card open-" She gasped out. "Shock Draw!" The trap lifted and she grabbed for her deck. "I took two thousand points of damage, so I draw twice!"

Adding the cards to her hand, she glanced over them. _With these, I should be able destroy that despicable doll and - _

"Do you have something against pawns?"

Her head lifted, lips twisting into a frown. "I beg your pardon?"

The Puppeteer's gazed regarded her speculatively from under the brim of his hat. "It's just that you seem to dream about them alot...scattered across the board...the usual chess set-up." Those eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. "Save for the fact they're missing heads and bleeding out."

Verthy's breath caught. "How -"

"How could I know that? I know many things, Verthandi Hannah Von Schroeder. How your visions have never failed to come to pass, how you keep striving to interpret them...and yet, when you do, you do anything to try and change them...but that cost is high…" The Puppeteer let out a noise of recognition. "Ah, your dear mother paid it the first time, didn't she?"

"Enough of your madness!" Verthy snapped, clenching her fingers into fists so the tremors building in them wouldn't make it up to her voice. "What gives you the right to speak of such things?!"

"Why, you did…" The Puppeteer lifted his hands, waggling his fingers to draw her attention to the strings on each finger. And the puppet they were controlling. A puppet that now had ringlets of pink hair and a familiar blue/gold dress.

"That's me!" Verthy stared at the doll in shock, an uncomfortable feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

"I said when we started, I couldn't wait to forget you…" The masked man taunted. "The more life points you lose, the more this doll takes shape and you'll be added to the walls."

"But my memories-"

"That is my own power. In life, I was able to reach out behind the curtain of life and death and speak with those who'd pull our strings. It was how Pegasus was able to create the dark piece of Kaiba for the Duelist Kingdom...and how I could stalk my targets so effectively…" The Puppeteer rasped. "And this is the place of the dead...the closer you are to death, the more is revealed to me…"

The doll Verthandi danced at his command, startling the real one out of her trance, worry lining her face. "Now..tell me more about how you're destined to kill all your friends."

TTTTTT

"You ready to bet your life on your cards?" Keith drawled as he drew his opening hand. "You should be thanking me - most duelists claim to do so, but you get it for realsies!"

"Yeah, no, my family's had enough of those! Dad got tied to the anchor to duel my uncle, mom had that cruise tour with those sharks -" Jessie drew her own hand, eyes flicking to the table at her side. There were foot-tall stacks of washers and nuts next her. "Why don't you quit blabbing and tell me how much my chips here are worth?"

"Nope - you'll have to figure that out for yourself." Keith stuck his tongue out at her as she growled in irritation. "But you'll have to ante every round and if you run out," He gave her a thumbs-down. "You're dead no matter how many life points you have!"

"Fine - draw!" Jessie snapped up her card and seized a handful of washers. "I'll bet these and declare you'll take no damage this turn!" They clattered towards the middle of the table. "Then for my turn, I summon, Bloom the Forest Princess in defense mode!" The dryad princess appeared, kneeling on her card. (800/2200)

"Then I activate the field spell Aqua Gate!" Water flowed off their surroundings, surrounding both of them until they were just standing on little islands. Then an arch rose up behind her, a waterfall spilling out continuously from it. "And since I did, I can summon Ocarina from the deck!"

BLoom whistled out a few notes and the crystalline blue bird fluttered to land on her finger. "Then I set two cards face-down! End turn!" (300/200)

_I don't know what he's got, but I'm ready. I've got two monsters and thanks to Aqua Gate, I can negate at least two attacks thanks to my set cards. _Her eyes flicked to the washers she'd bet. _"If I'm betting my life, my best move is to play defensive until I can figure out what he's doing and then go for the kill!_

"My move and I'll pay up the ante." Keith shoved his own handful of washers towards the table center. "Betting you'll take about twenty-five hundred damage!"

"Geeze, I knew you were a prize shark, but you're betting pretty big on your first move." Jessie rolled her eyes. "No wonder you suck - every gambler knows you don't go all-in first thing!"

"Life's no fun if you ain't playing big, brat! Same in Russian Roulette and same in Duel Monsters! I activate the spell Heavy Storm!" Keith laughed as a howling wind began to pick up, churning up the surrounding water and making Jessie's set cards rattle. "All spells and traps on the field are destroyed!"

"Lucky draw-! " Jessie held out her hand. "I activate Ocarina's effect! I send Aqua Gate to the graveyard and activate Geartown from the deck!" THe waters receded, exposing the ancient, clattering gears of the mechanical city that were quickly ripped apart by the howling winds. Her set cards blew apart as well. "And blowing up my cards was a mistake!"

A mechanical dragon lumbered out of the casino's darkness, eyes gowing red with internal heat. Then a shadow flicked over the arena and a dark-skinned man dropped down in front of her twirling his pistols expertly. "When Geartown dies, I summon Ancient Gear Gadjitron Dragon and my set Dark Scorpion - Sting and Pincer summons Don Zaloog!" (3000/2000) (1400/1500)

Don lifted one of his guns at Keith and pulled the trigger, blowing a neat hole in one of Keith's remaining hand cards. "And since my trap summoned him, Don's effect activates! You lose a card in your hand!"

"Frigging cheap...attacking my hand like that! But see if I care!" Keith ripped his next card free and slammed it into his disk. "My next card is Interrupted Kaiju Slumber! All monsters we got are nuked to dust!"

"What!?" Jessie's eyes widened as a whistling sound filled the air and a cartoonish-looking bomb with the words 'The BIG One' on it crashed down in the middle of the field. There was a dramatic humming noise, then a slight sizzling noise and with a small 'pop', smoke wafted off the engine.

A second passed.

Then with a 'ding', a flag popped free of the side with 'BOOM!' on it. The field erupted in an inferno, Jessie bracing herself as the flames swamped her monsters and all four exploded into pixels.

Keith's laugh was the only thing louder than the bomb. "Don't worry, kiddo - that bomb woke something big, mean and ugly just for you!"

The floor shuddered, heavy clanging and sparking slowly overriding the noise of the gambling hall. Jessie gawked as the metal began to buckle. Electricity crackled over angular, alien metal limbs as the giant monster shouldered its way free. With an inhuman, high-pitched noise, it loomed over the playing field. "What the hell is this thing!?" (3300/2600)

"A Japanese girl don't recognize a kaiju when she sees one? Pretty sad." Keith mocked. "You'll hurt Jizukiru's feelings!"

"Kaiju…" Jessie glanced up at the monster, then back at him. "You give me a giant city-destroying monster and that's a _good _thing?"

"Hey, it's not a monster movie without a slugfest - my spell gives me one, too!" Keith jerked a thumb over his shoulder as the shadows behind began to move. Unlike Jessie's monster which looked like bio-organic metal, his was clearly something organic that had been converted into a cyborg. Glowing tron lines, a plasma cannon instead of an arm, colorful wings and even a digital roar. "Super Anti-Kaiju War Machine Mecha-Thunder-King's a mouthful, but not much more, though." (2200/2100)

"I don't get it, why give me the stronger monster? Seems like I should have gotten that one." Jessie huffed. "How else are you going to inflict that twenty-five hundred damage you bet?"

"I'm getting there! See, I don't need to muscle on this guy, the only spec on him I care about is his level. Which is nine! Means he goes well with my next monster -" Keith shoved a card from his hand into the graveyard and the shadows moved again, letting the nose of a sprawling nose of some kind of spaceship poke through. "Deep-Space Cruiser IX." (900/900)

"Sheeh, your taste in machines just gets weirder every time you duel…" Jessie stared at the two monsters and then frowned. "They're both level nine. So now you Xyz Summon."

"Take the fun out of it, why don't ya?" Keith adjusted his sunglasses with an annoyed grunt. Then smiled. "But maybe this'll impress you! I open the Overlay Network!"

Both of his monsters became spheres of light, twirled around each other and shot up to vanish into the ceiling. _"Firepower that dwarfs the sun, the whole world is a target for destruction! Eradicate everything in burning light! Xyz Summon! Rank 9! Number 9: Dyson Sphere!" _

The field remained empty.

Jessie was about to point his impressive attempts were falling flat when a window screen opened above him. It was big and broader than she expected, showing a vast expanse of metal with energy running through it and then the blackness of space. Beside that, was a blue/green marble she didn't pinpoint right away. Then - "That's the _Earth!?_"

"My monster's living up to its name! It's a Dyson Sphere, something big enough to house the whole Solar System in and power it for billions of years!" Keith's grin was ruthless. "And every bit of that power is aimed squarely at you, Wheeler!"

_That thing's bigger than Lero's Satellite Laser Balsam- X! I don't even Balsam could scratch this thing's patinjob! _Jessie felt panic rise, until the monster's stat box flashed into view. "Wait - Dyson Sphere is weaker than Jizukiru!" (2800/3000)

"And that's just the way I like it," Keith snickered in glee. "First, though, I'm giving Dyson Sphere the equip spell Overlay Profit. Now everytime I use its effect, I can draw a card. So I'll expend one of its Overlay Units…" On the screen, the Number's power lines began to glow white and he drew.

His grin spread, becoming triumphant. "And now - because your monster is stronger than Dyson Sphere - it can attack you directly! _Brilliant Bombardment!" _

The screen whited out as Dyson Sphere began to charge up and then flared with brilliance. Up in the casino's dark ceiling, a white dot became visible. Jessie braced herself for an encompassing blast of power - and a single pencil-thin beam pierced through her chest.

Pain erupted through and she clutched at the smoking hit, eyes wide. _It...hurts…! He might as well just shot me…! _(JLP: 8000-5200)

Keith folded his arms over his brawny chest, clearly enjoying Jessie's body's twitching response to the shock of the pain despite not taking any physical wound. "Looks like I was right on my bet…" The two antes slid across the table and joined his pile. "And you pay the debt in blood!"

Jessie could feel it coming - tension over prkcling over her skin like dozens of spiderlegs brushing against her. Then blood erupted out of the arms and legs, leaving her to stare at it numbly before pain hit all at once and a scream tore free of her throat.

Keith chuckled as the scream echoed around the casino, drowning out even the gamblers. "Bet you never had to take blood money so literally." He sneered as Jessie forced herself to her feet, thin rivulets of red trickling everywhere. "Had enough yet?"

Jessie wiped blood off her lips with the back of her hand. "Am I out of chips, Keith?"

He started, then slapped his thigh and laughed again. "Shit, girl, you got your pop's moxy! Alright then, let's see if got his balls! Come at me with everything you got!"

TTTTTTT

In the art studio, Lero stared at the doppelganger of his father and was slowly starting to realize why people found his real father so insufferable. _The duel hasn't even started and that little sly smirk of his is either going to make me demand to know what secret he has or ask him what's so funny?_

He drew a sixth card and managed a smile of his own. _But he also taught me how to deal with people like that - you just outperform them. _"From my hand, I summon Cyber Dragon Herz in defense mode!" In a flash of light, the smaller version of Cyber Dragon appeared, its segmented body curling up tight to protect itself. "Then I set three cards face-down and end my turn!" (100/100)

"Ooh, you barely looked at your cards before playing them! Such confidence! Such professionalism! Hardly the little boy who couldn't tell a trap from a spell! Ah, I'm so overcome." Pegasus put a hand on his heart, looking flustered. "I'm afraid all I can do is set three cards face-down - " They appeared in front of him in a trio of flashes. "And summon Toon Gemini Elf in attack mode."

Two elves popped into existing, cartoonishly proportioned, and struck a back-to-back pose, finger guns at the ready and faces serious. Then they broke into giggles, leaning on each other. (1900/900)

"My move." Lero drew slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. _He didn't play or search for Toon World. If he's running a copy of Dad's deck, that's not really possible. He has three Terraforming, three Toon Table of Contents and three Toon Bookmark, plus three copies of Toon World and Toon Kingdom. That is essentially fifteen chances to get that card in his opening hand. Did he actually brick on his opening hand…?_

There was no reason not to play Toons' key card. And if he hadn't, Lero knew there had to be a reason - his father's act was just that. An act. _Everything he does has a purpose. So not playing Toon World is either to try and make me second-guess things...or this copy has an edge I don't know…_

"You're looking at my Toon Gemini Elf so hard, my boy. Have they caught your eye?" Pegasus smiled in a knowing way as the elves cooed and leaned forwards seductively to display cleavage and bat their eyelashes at him. "It's okay to admit it - these _are _adult cartoons and we've all tried to see how real the holograms are."

"Psh, really? First, I'm way past my dad embarrassing me with things like that. Second, I'm a married man and I'm working on the 'happily' part. Which includes dealing with you!" Lero held up a spell. "Machine Duplication! Hertz has less than five hundred points and since it counts as 'Cyber Dragon', I summon two more from my deck!"

In twin flashes of light, two larger, more dangerous looking Cyber Dragons appeared on either side of his monster. (2100/1600x2)

"Two monsters that powerful? You've got one of each of my elves!" Pegasus said in mock-panick, the elves clutching their faces and wailing a bit.

"Reverse card open! High-Rate Draw!" The card lifted and all three of his Cyber Dragons blew apart. "I destroy my machines, then draw once for each!" Lero drew, then caught the card his deck spat out. "And since Herz went to the graveyard, I get my last Cyber Dragon in my hand and I'll summon it!"

A roar heralded the new monster's arrival, but Lero was grabbing another card. "Then I summon Cyber Dragon Core!" This Cyber Dragon was much smaller than even Herz, its body trailing wires and cords. "When I summon this monster, I add a 'Cyber spell or trap to my hand!" (400/1500)

"Haaa, that's the fourth monster you've summoned with that name." Pegasus huffed teasingly and waved his hand in dismissal. "Pick a design and stick with it, please!"

"How about I get serious instead? I activate Recycling Plant! I banish the three Cyber Dragons in my graveyard to fusion summon my ultimate monster!" Lero picked up the two Cyber Dragons and Herz, shoving them into the slot on his Duel Disk as the air behind him split. His new, tri-headed monster was massive, its wingspan large enough the drawing room seemed to expand a few inches to let it fit. "Cyber End Dragon!" (4000/2800)

"And it's end comes too soon! Trap card! Dark Renewal!" Pegasus smiled as his card transformed into a coffin that split open. It sucked his panicked elves inside. Cyber End Dragon struggled against the pull, but despite its bulk, it too was drawn into the coffin like being shoved into a toothpaste tube. The coffin snapped shut definitively. "I send both our monsters to the graveyard and summon Toon Masked Sorcerer in its place! Defense mode, of course."

The coffin popped open in a spray of confetti, allowing a short, squat clown-figure to leap out to uproarious applause. It kept working the crowd - until it saw the harsh look on Lero's face and shoved his hands behind his back, feet scraping the floor sheepishly. (900/1400)

"Yeah, that's not going to stop me from blasting you off the face of the Earth! Reverse card open! Cybernetic Evolution! I sacrifice Cyber Dragon Core and summon another Cyber End Dragon!" The little dragon glowed, expanding until it filled up the space around with its powerful body and triple-throated roar. (4000/2800)

"Quick, Toon Masked Sorcerer! Get in this coffin!" Pegasus tapped a button on his disk and a card flipped up, becoming a gold sarcophagus. It opened and his Sorcerer scrambled inside. It shut and glowed, firing a beam that punched through Cyber End Dragon's body. With a whine, it exploded. "Oooh, Magical Dimension is a trick coffin! It blows your monster away and turns my Sorcerer into Toon Dark Magician!"

The sarcophagus opened, letting the purple-armored magician leap out. He twirled his staff a few times dramatically like some kind of warrior monk and then stabbed it at Lero with a 'waaaaaa!' (2500/2100)

Lero just shrugged.

Pegasus just rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you're my son? No sense of theatre!"

"Not a big fan of comedies - if I've got a choice, I'll go for high-octane action that never stops coming! Just like my deck! I activate the quick-play apple Cyberload Fusion! I shuffle the two banished Cyber Dragons and the one on my field back into my deck to fusion summon!" He shuffled the cards back into his deck and in the roar of his light, triple-head fusion rose up yet again behind him. (4000/2800)

"My, my, that's a third time without you so much skipping a beat. Seems you've taken quite well to the Cyber-Art Dueling I enlisted you in. Both as a duelist and a man -you've not even batted an eye." Pegasus nodded approvingly, but his lips lifted in that obnoxious smirk. "No more yelling and broken lamps and ripped paintings when things don't go your way...your temper's expensive…"

"Tch…" Lero scowled, but snapped out his hand. "You'll pay a bigger price for being such a piss-poor copy of my Dad! Cyber End Dragon! Attack Toon Dark Magician! _Eternal Evolution Burst!_"_  
_

The fusion monster flared its wings, rearing up each head in sequence as they all began to charge up energy. Toon Dark Magician flailed in a panic and clutched his staff desperately in front of as if it would ward off the oncoming blows.

"Now, now, I can't have that! And neither can Toon Dark Magician! I activate my set Magician's Selection!" The card lifted and Pegasus gestured to his magician. "So, do you choose to take hat attack?"

The toon tapped a finger to his chin in thought, then shook his head and pointed at Cyber End Dragon. Then he drew a finger under his throat. Lines of light appeared along the throats of Cyber End Dragon and as the magician just giggled behind his hand, the fusion's heads all toppled off. A moment later, the fusion exploded into pixels.

"I've got a trap of my own! Loaner Delivery!" Lero snapped his fingers, the card lifting. It spat out a glowing sphere of light that spat out a Cyber Dragon curled in defense mode. Unlike his previous monsters, though, it had an energy frill around the neck and red lines augmenting its hard angular body. "You destroyed my monster, so I summoned a replacement from my deck!" (1100/600)_  
_

"Such tenacity, my boy, such tenacity! What's a poor old man like to do in the face of that youthful energy?" Pegasus drew. "Here, I'll do some research! Toon Table of Contents! I add any Toon card I want to my hand, so I think I'll just go through my Toon Table of Contents until I find something useful!"

He added the next copy of the spell to his hand, then repeated the processes and activated the third. His face became a grin as he added a fourth searched card to his hand. "Just what I needed! Toon Bookmark! Can't forget where I left the card that will lead to your demise, Bellerophon!"

With a grinding noise, his field slot on the stone disk opened and he shoved his chosen card in. The slot snapped shut and a cheery, silly carousel melody began to build out of nowhere. "Are you ready? To enter a mystical, magical world unlike any other? A place where laughter is the best medicine and a smile is your umbrella?"

Lero had heard his father's Toon Kingdom spiel before and while he had always appreciated the man's energy behind it, he could feel his instincts going up in warning this time as the cheery music shifted into a minor key that took it from silly to haunting without even slowing down.

"_**Black is the color of laughter, black is the color of joy. Black is the blood on your casket. It's the palette of the void"**_

His eyes widened fractionally as his whole body stiffened in surprise. _The hell -? The Toon cards play music, but they don't have lyrics!_

Then he saw it. Ink was spilling out of the walls, the furniture and even the floor in little rivulets like the room itself was bleeding. Long thin drops were pulled down by gravity to dangle precariously as wobbly stalactites. The drawing room was getting darker as a result. It was still well-lit, but the colors were fading, draining of vibrancy and making it feel cold and dreary. A chill breeze gave him goosebumps and the windows rattled in their frames .

"A place where your worst nightmare is my fondest dream?" Pegasus tilted his head, giving him a leering smile. The empty canvas on the walls began to fill in with bleak drawings of all the Toon monsters in somber colors. Toon Dark Magician turning some cowering Ojamas into rats and holding them out to a cat. Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon roasting some Kuribohs on a spit with its fire breath. Toon Summoned Skull using lightning to revive a sticked-together body of Gagigigo ala Frakenstein, the reptile in clear agony. "Welcome to Toon Castle Nightdread!"

Lero very much wanted to offer a pithy comment about how this place wasn't scary at all, but his instincts were making him tense. The air of the room was cold in a bad way, the chill that crawls itself down your spine. _This place is a dark card - this game just became very dangerous! _

Even Toon Dark Magician didn't escape redecoration. His armor had become mismatched shades of purple and gray. His face gained heavy ink lines, as if he'd been drawn in black'n'white in a manner that accentuated his aggressiveness and ruthlessness.

"My, my, if this stuns you into silence, my next move is just going to blow your mind." Pegasus' mocking words drew him out his thoughts, just in time to watch the older man shove a card into his graveyard. "By discarding a Toon Kingdom, I activate the Toon Dark Magician's effect! I summon another Toon from my deck!"

Toon Dark Magician reached up into nothing and pulled down a big curtain. A drumroll sounded and then he yanked on a rope, parting the curtain to reveal a cackling blue toon dragon. As Lero watched, the dragon's cackling toon a twisted turn, the lines on its body darling as a heavy-handed artist went over them again. That permanent mocking grin became grisly as inky blood began to leak between the teeth and the scales grew mottled with varying ugly shades of blue. "Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" (3000/2500)

When Lero didn't applaud, Toon Dark Magician looked put out and Pegasus just sighed again. "If that's how you're going to be, I'll end this quickly. I activate Toon Rollback! Now my Toon Dragon can battle twice this turn!"

He chuckled obnoxiously as Lero frowned at him. "Ah, confused? Allow me to enlighten you, dear boy! This dark place is where comedy is born, the absurdities of life so tragic and inconceivable one cannot but help to laugh at them! Where sanity becomes the exception and madness the norm - because you'd have to be crazy otherwise!"

The elder man's face became covered in shadows, making him look a bit too much like his Toons, his smile now garish and overwhite. And his hair shifted, revealing a left that wasn't an eye at all. Just a dark, seething mass of black with the Eye of Horus and veins bulging around it. "In Duel Monsters terns, my Toons break all the rules yet again! They can attack on the turn they're summoned!"

Lero's eyes widened in horror at the sight of the man's face and that revelation. And Pegasus savored, breathed it in and lifted a hand. His dragon opened its maw, sucking the remaining color out of the to become bleached flames in its maw. "Now Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, attack him directly! Turn my son to an ink stain!"

TTTTTT

_The duels continue, the Pros rush to help and the climax draws ever closer! But in the darkest places of the world, you can hide nothing…_

_Next chapter - Duel Madness! Chaos Ensues!_

CREATED CARDS:

_Ryou_

Gimmick Puppet - Gallow Sway  
DARK  
Rank 8  
Machine/Xyz/Effect  
1000/1000  
Two Level 8 monsters  
Effect: Once per turn (Quick Effect), you may detach one Xyz Material from this card. Place a 'String Counter' a face-up monster your opponent controls. If this card battles a monster with a 'String Counter', it is not destroyed as a result of a battle and you take no battle damage from that battle. If this card is attacked by a monster higher ATK that has a 'String Counter', send that monster to the graveyard after damage calculation.

Gimmick Puppet - Sew'n'Strangle  
DARK  
Rank 8  
Machine/XyzEffect  
2000/2000  
Two level 8 monsters.  
Effect: You can detach an Xyz Material from this card; during this turn, this card cannot be destroyed in battle and you take no damage from battles involving it. Each time this card battles, place one 1 'String Counter' on this card. Once per turn, you can remove any number of 'String Counters' from this card. Inflict 1000x the number of removed counters to your opponent. _  
_

Gimmick Puppet - Playdead Rite.  
DARK  
Rank 8  
Machine/Xyz/Effect  
2000/2000)  
Two Level 8 'Gimmick Puppet' monsters.  
Effect: (Quick Effect): Detach one Xyz Material, place a 'String Counter' on all face-up monsters your opponent controls. If this card is destroyed, during your next Standby Phase, if there are three or more 'String Counters' in play, you an Special Summon this card (But banish it when it leaves the field), then select one face-up monster that has a 'String Counter' and attach to this card as Xyz Material.

Gimmick Theatre  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: Monsters with 'String Counters' cannot activate their effects, be Tributed and cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. If a 'Gimmick Puppet' monster battles a monster in defense position with a 'String Counter', inflict piercing damage.

Image: A broad theatre with all Dreary Doll, Bisque Doll, Terror Baby, Magnet Doll, acting like a family, watching a performance involving Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer, Gimmick Puppet of Strings and Gimmick Puppet of Leo.

Strings and Things

Normal Trap Card  
Effect: REmove all 'String Counters' from your opponent's monsters. For each monster that lost a 'String Counter', draw 1 card.

Image: Sew'n'Strangle stitching Dreary Doll back together in a graveyard, open, bloody graves surrounding them.

_Panik_

_Note: Shadow LIch has both a manga version and a real version, neither of which suited my needs. I have combined them to create an alternate version._

Number 48: Shadow Lich  
DARK  
Rank 3  
Fiend/Xyz/Effect  
1800/0  
Effect: Once per turn, you can detach a Xyz Material from this card; Special Summon as many 'Phantom Tokens (DARK/3 stars/Fiend/500/0) as possible to your side of the field. You take no battle damage involving 'Phantom Tokens. If this card would be targeted for an attack, you may change the target to a 'Phantom Token' you control. If this card would be destroyed by a card effect, you may destroy a 'Phantom Token'. When this card battles, you can have this card gain ATK equal to the combined ATK of all 'Phantom Tokens' you control.

_Kaede_

_Fun Fact: The Archfiend Synchros all are two levels higher than their original counterparts and their stats have been increased by the amount you had to pay to keep them on the field._

Archfiend Horrorpawn.  
DARK  
Level 2  
Fiend/Tuner/Effect  
1200/200  
Effect: During your Standby Phase, you can 300 Life Points. If you do not, negate this card's effects until the End Phase. You can roll a six-sided die; if the result is 1, 3 or 5, you change this card's level to any number from 1 to 8 until the End Phase. This card cannot be used as Material for a Synchro or Xyz Summon except a Fiend-type Synchro or Xyz monster.

Archfiend Checker Cardinal  
DARK  
Level 5  
Fiend/Synchro/Effect  
800/1900  
Effect: 1 Fiend-type Tuner + 1 or more monsters.

During your Standby Phase, you can pay 500 Life Points. If you do not, negate this card's effects until the End Phase. Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed by an 'Archfiend' monster's effect or an 'Archfiend' monster is destroyed by a result of your opponent's card (by effect or battle), this card cannot be destroyed until the End Phase. Then roll a six-sided die, then activate the appropriate effect depending on the result:

1: Target one card on the field; negate its effects.

2: Shuffle one monster in either player's graveyard into the deck.

3: Until you roll again, draw 1 card each time an 'Archfiend' card is destroyed.

4: Change all monsters your opponent controls to face-up Defense Position. (Flip Effects are not activated at this time.)

5: Destroy 1 card your opponent controls.

6: Special Summon one 'Archfiend' monster from your graveyard.

Terrorking Archfiend Exalted  
DARK  
Level 6  
Fiend/Synchro/Effect  
2800/2300

Effect: Archfiend Horrorpawn + 1 or more Fiend-type monsters.

During your Standby Phase, you can pay 800 Life Points. If you do not, negate this card's effects until the End Phase. When an attack is declared involving this face-up card, negate the effect(s) of the opponent's monsters. When this card destroys a monster as a result of battle, roll a six-sided die and apply the appropriate effect depending on the result-  
1: Destroy one card your opponent controls.

2: Draw 1 card  
3: This card can may attack again in a row.

4: Banish one monster in your opponent's graveyard, then inflict 800 damage to your opponent's life points.  
5: Roll the die again.  
6: Special Summon level 6 or lower 'Archfiend' monster from your deck. You may only activate this effect once per turn. (If you roll 6 after activating this effect, roll the die again.)

Imperial Pandemonium  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: Once per turn,during either player's turn, when an 'Archfiend' monster is destroyed as a result of a card effect, you add one 'Archfiend' monster from your graveyard or deck to your hand. When a card is destroyed by an 'Archfiend' card's effect or you pay life points for an Archfiend monster's effect, place one 'Soul Counter' on this card. When you roll a die for an 'Archfiend' monster's effect, you can remove one 'Soul Counter' from this card; the result of die roll is the number you specify.

Image: Archfiend Emperor in his throne in a dark stone palace, flanked by blazing braziers, all other Archfiend monsters kneeling before him with Terrorking in the lead.

_Kaiba_

Mosaic - Chimera Module  
EARTH  
8 stars  
Beast/Fusion/Effect  
2400/2200  
Effect: Any 2 'Material' monsters.

Must first be Fusion Summoned by sending the above-listed monsters you control to the Graveyard. (You do not use 'Polymerization'.) When this card is destroyed, Special Summon 2 'Material' monsters from your graveyard.

Mosaic Nemean  
EARTH  
8 stars  
Beast/Fusion/Effect  
2700/2200  
Effect: Material Lion + Material Lion + Material Lion  
Must first be Fusion Summoned by sending the above-listed monsters you control to the Graveyard. (You do not use 'Polymerization'.) When this card is destroyed, Special Summon 2 'Mosaic Lion' from your Graveyard. When this card inflicts battle damage to your opponent's life points, destroy one card on the field.

Recycling Material  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Shuffle any number of 'Material' monsters from your Hand or Graveyard into your Deck, then add an equal number of 'Material' monsters with different names from each other from your Deck to your Hand.

Image: Material Lion, Wyvern, Armadillo and Bat, damaged and broken, be tossed into a machine that is reeling out fresh clean copies of the monsters.

Material Gathering  
Continuous Spell Card  
Effect: You can Normal Summon a 'Material' monster alongside your regular Normal Summon/Set. (You can only get this effect once this turn.) Once per turn, when a 'Mosaic' monster is destroyed, you can Special Summon one 'Material' Monster from your deck in Defense Position.

Image: A duelist with Material Lion, Scorpion and Bat in front of himself, Ultimate Offering on his field and a hand with Material Wyvern and Armadillo in his hand.

Materialism  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Draw 1 card for every face-up 'Material' or 'Mosaic' monster you control. You cannot Summon monsters except 'Material' or 'Mosaic' monsters during the turn you activate this card.

Image: People exchanging U.S. Dollars, but the pictures on the money are Mosaic Nemean, Mosaic Manitcore and Mosaic - Chimera Module.

Mosaic Masterpiece  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: After activation, equip this card to a 'Mosaic' monster. When the equipped monster would leave the field, you can destroy it instead. If this card is in your graveyard and you Special Summon a 'Mosaic' monster, you can set this card to your field, but banish it when leaves the field. (it can be activated this turn.)

Image: Mosaic Manticore on a display podium, gleaming with perfection as cameras and reporters surround it eagerly.

_Jackie  
_

Master Monk Quan  
WIND  
6 stars  
Rock/Fusion/Effect  
2200/2200  
Effect 'Monk Fighter + Legendary Jujitsu Master  
You take no battle damage from battles involving this card. The first time this card would be destroyed as a result of battle each turn, it is not. When this card battles an opponent's monster and that monster is not destroyed, you can return that monster to the hand.

_Puppeteer_

Doll Part Black  
DARK

1 stars  
Spellcaster/Tuner/Effect  
0/0

Effect: When this card is Summoned, Special Summon as many 'Doll Part' monsters as you can from your Hand or Graveyard with different names. During the turn you Summon this card, you can only Special Summon Spellcaster-type monsters.

Doll Chimera Remodeled  
DARK

5 stars  
Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect  
2000/2000

Effect: Doll Part Black + 4 differently named 'Doll Part monsters

This card cannot be destroyed as a result of battle. When this card destroys a monster as a result of battle, you may send two 'Doll Part' monsters from your deck to the graveyard; this monster may attack again immediately.

_Keith_

Overlay Proft  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Equip only to an Xyz Monster. Each time an Xyz Material is removed the equipped monsters, draw 1 card for each Xyz Material removed.

Image: Goblin of Greed standing in a booth saying 'Xyz Bank', passing out an orb of light to Utopia while taking Utopia's monster with the other.


	16. Duel Madness! Chaos Ensues!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __If I had a dollar for every time I apologized for having a chapter come out so late, I'd be able to pay a ghostwriter…_

_Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this during this world crisis!_

Chapter 16: Duel Madness! Chaos Ensues!

Daniel was always amazed at how calm he found himself in these situations. Oh, initially, he'd had his own fair share of panic attacks, painful duels and memories that kept him up at night and experiences that were far too outside the norm to ever get any therapist to relate to, but he had been a teenager.

Now that he was an adult and these things kept happening, he just kept taking them in stride. Old enemies returning from the dead for revenge could be fit in between his morning run and a brunch smoothie. Magical duels were given the same amount of attention and thought as his grocery runs.

Even now, when he was literally walking upside down on a long set of windows that had become this hallway's new floor, picking his way like a tightrope walker along the frames, he only spared a few thoughts to the idea that if he fell 'through' the panes, he'd go hurtling down into the spike forest that surrounded the castle. And those were only spared out of curiosity.

_I wonder what that says about me as a person. _He thought back to Jessie's 'salt-and-salsa look' comment and grinned a bit. _I suppose that just means I'm well-seasoned._

The camera drone ahead of him had no trouble navigating the twisted space of the castle and moved at a steady clip that eventually led him to the door that Sumire had said Jessiebelle was behind. He had to step 'up' relative to his glass floor onto the wall to get there and there was only a twinge in his stomach as the world inverted itself again.

There was more than a twinge of frustration in his head, though, as he regarded the wooden door in front of him. There wasn't a handle and squared in the center was a three-by-three grid. It was empty save for a single square in the center that had a triangle in it. "Sumire, can you hear me?"

_"I can. And I see it as well. The others all report the same set-up at their doors, though their piece has a different symbol." _ The drone backed up and away from the door a bit, presumably to give her a better view of it.

Daniel reached out and touched the tile. Nothing happened, so he applied pressure but there was no give inwards. Instead, the tile slid to the left and hit the grid's edge. He quickly moved it through all nine slots, but nothing happened. "It's some kind of puzzle game, but I'm not sure how this is going to work."

_"I believe that I do. The doors all have the same grid. What has to happen is that the six pieces must be put into their proper place. If you stacked all six doors together, that would result in a complete image."_

"Like the Battle City locator cards…" Daniel stepped back and folded his arms. "But what the hell has a triangle as a symbol? Geometry? Algebra? Trig?"

"_I do not know. I have uploaded the images to my computer and am running a search to find matches in any historial, modern or theoretical symbols."_

"And how long will that take?"

A pause. _"When I have the solution to the puzzle, you will know how long it took."_

Daniel didn't have a response, so he remained silent. And wished quietly to himself that he wasn't so used to waiting for life and death situations to resolve themselves without him.

_Oh well. _He thought, getting comfortable on the floor. _At least nothing is trying to eat me this time…_

TTTTTTT

"Take...my Number? Take...my life points?" Panik stared at his hand, then clenched it into a defiant fist as he lifted his eyes to meet Kaede's cold look with a sneer. "I am Panik! You'll take nothing from me but pain and your own death!"

"Kill me? How?" Kaede barked a laugh and swept out her arm, the act generating a wave of embers and brimstone that billowed out her coat and left her violet eyes glimmering twistedly. "We're already in hell!"

Terrorking Archfiend rumbled an agreement, dragging his axe across the stone and generating a shower of sparks at Panik.

The big man held his ground. "I'll crush you and drive you so far into despair, you'll hang yourself from the tallest tree willingly! I draw!" He ripped the card free, darkness rippling around his form and his broad mouth split into a satisfied grin. "I activate the spell Glorious Numbers! This card revives my Shadow Lich and becomes an Overlay Unit for it!"

The fires of Imperial Pandemonium dimmed so that darkness swamped his field and Shadow Lich just appeared out of it like it had always been there. "And I'll expend that material to summon more Phantom Tokens! _Shadows of Death!_" Shadow Lich snuffed out the orb of light surrounding it and its shadow spread out like a fan, splitting off to spawn four identical copies of itself. His two Token Stampede cards glowed as they lent their power to the new monsters. (500-2500/0x4)

A card flashed into existence behind his monster. "Then I set this card and end my turn!"

"I draw." Kaede drew. "I think you're living up to your name, Panik. You just did the exact same move I've already beaten. I'd compliment you for sticking to your guns, but rewarding stupidity is how you got a job in the first place."

"Talk all you like, little Mouto, but I promise you, the real terror is yet to come!"

"Mmhmm, sure. And if you keep talking, I'll find your voice less stupid. Don't think either one is about to happen." Kaede snapped out a hand and another brazier around her lit up. "I pay eight hundred life points to keep Terrorking's effects in play, placing one counter on my field spell!" (KLP: 3600-2800)

A new brazier lit, but she wasn't paying attention to it. "Harpie's Feather Duster! All of your spell and traps are destroyed!"

A whirlwind of feather's gathered out of nowhere, tearing through Panik's Token Stampedes. As it went for the set card, though, it flipped up and Panik just sneered. "I activate my set card! The quick-play spell card from Master Nitemare! Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force!"

The card didn't lift, but shattered into fragments. Each one glimmered into blackness and Kaede started as they all pierced Shadow Lich like knives. The monster's tattered cloak body writhed in pain like it was actual flesh and out of the wounds poured a miasma. It layered itself over Shadow Lich like bandages, pulsating as if it were cocooning the monster inside a gigantic heart.

"_The shadow colacese into a vessel of pain and rage! Evolve in the heart of darkness and become a terror beyond terror! Rank-Up Xyz Summon - Number C49: Fullshadow Lich!" _Panik laughed as the heart of dark magic beat a few more times, went still and began to melt. The new monster was a skull with obsidian gemstone eyes and shadows dripping around it to facisimilate a body and cloak. Ethereal and ragged, Kaede had a hard time making out its exact features. (2300/0)

But her Terrorking didn't. He hefted his axe and she pointed. "Terrorking! Crush that lich again! _Terror Slash!"_

The Synchro lunged and his axe carved up the center lich. But the only real result was Panik's laugh and cackling from the other liches. "Fullsahdow Lich is an improvement on the original - you cannot attack it while I have Phantom Tokens! And as before, I take no damage from them! But you do!"

Kaede braced herself as a dark aura erupted around her, sapping her strength as Panik continued. "Each time a Phantom Token is destroyed, you take five hundred damage and Fullshadow Lich gains that much attack!" (2300-2800)

"Tch - more walling!" Kaede pointed at Terrorking, who was lifting up a hand himself. "I use the effect of Terrorking! I roll one die because he destroyed a monster as a result of battle! And by expending a counter from Imperial Pandemonium, I make the result six!" Terrorking crushed the die in his hand and smoke wafted out to form a translucent six. "Now I summon one Archfiend that is level six or lower from my deck!"

A short, bone-and-armor demon appeared on her field. "In my main phase two, I tune my Terrorking and my new Horrorpawn to summon out the very fires of hell itself! _The roar of flames and the biting heat of the inferno gather together to boil the devil's blood! Ignite the world in a hellstorm of battle! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!" _

Terrorking and Horrorpawn were swallowed by blazing flames that drowned out even Imperial Pandemonium's light. They twined and morphed into the red-scaled form of her dragon, his roar shaking the stonework. (3000/2000)

The liches across the field all backed up as the dragon's wings beat, sending waves of heat across the playing field. Kaede smirked at Panik's wide-eyed look. "That look - right there? That's fear, Panik - the kind that makes you feel cold even in the flames of the underworld! And I'll show you why that fear is justified right now!"

She grabbed two cards from her hand and the flames around her monster burned larger. "I equip Hot Red Dragon Archfiend with Blood of the Archfiends and Archfiend Sword - Frightlush!" A wickedly-carved sword appeared in her monster's claws, the hilt made of bone and the crossguard a still-beating heart that had a single eye on it. "Now Hot Red Dragon Archfiend! _Crimson Tide!" _

Hot Red roared and slammed his new sword into the ground. It kicked up a blazing wave of flames that crashed into Panik's field and blew the remaining three Phantom Tokens apart. Hot Red began to bleed, the blood fuel for new, hotter flames. "I may take fifteen hundred damage, but Blood of the Archfiend increases my monster's attack by eighteen hundred! Then Frightlush absorbs their souls and gives me six hundred life points for each one!" (KLP: 2300-800-3200) (3000-5400)

Panik stared in concern. "But Fullshadow's attack points…!" (2800-4300)

"Don't mean anything in the face of my power!" Kaede swept a card into her disk. "I set this face-down! End turn!"

"Draw!" Panik tore his card free and pointed at his monster. "Fullshadow does not have to expend a material to summon it's tokens!" The shadows around it twisted and erupted into clones of itself again. (500x4)

_I can activate Fullshadow's effect on her turn, too. So if I can stop her from healing, her own dragon will finish her off! _He held up a spell card. "Then I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Frightlush!"

"Reverse card open! The Emperor's Will! I destroy Call of the Archfiends-" The trap card shattered. "And now I can activate the effect of an Archfiend monster! _Crimson Tide!"_

Panik's eyes widened as Hot Red Dragon Archfiend slashed the demonic sword through the air, generating a wave of searing heat that burned away his tokens. The bleeding fires around the monster increased as Blood of the Archfiends activated. Kaede's form burned with damage from the token's death, only for the hellfire to warp around her. (KLP: 3200-1200-3400) (5400-7800)

Then Mystical Space Typhoon finished activating and blew the sword out of her dragon's hand. It went spiraling off into the woods around them. "That accomplished nothing! My Fullshadow gains more attack points and I can summon more tokens on your turn! You're just hurting yourself!" (4300-6300)

Red sprayed across his vision and the big man looked down in numb surprise to see Frightlush jutting out of his chest. The sword faded away, as did the wound but he still fell to his knees in pain. "But..!"

"Frightlush is a demon sword, Panik. It gains counters for each monster destroyed by the Archfiends. And when you destroy it, you take damage equal to those counters times six hundred!" Kaede drawled in satisfaction. "And it had eight!"

Panik gasped in agony, forcing himself to stand again. But his once intimidating bulk made it easier to see that every move was a struggle for him. "You - one shot won't be enough to defeat me!" (PLP: 8000-3600)

"Don't give yourself too much credit, Panik. I defeat duelists at the tournament level - you, I just put out of your misery!" Kaede snarked.

"I'll show you!" Panik held up another spell card. "Shrink! The attack points of your dragon are halved!" The flames around Hot Red dwindled and the dragon was forced to land instead of keep flying as its strength was sapped. "Fullshadow Lich! Destroy that dragon! _Death Endless!_" (7800-3900)

His monster shot forwards, its shadowy body expanding until it was able to envelope Hot Red completely. Something glimmered in the darkness, there was a roar and then Synchro came stumbling out of it. In pieces.

Those pieces all shattered and their force slammed into Kaede, hurling her off her feet until she crashed into one of the trees. She staggered on suddenly unsteady footing, the world swimming. Hot Red's defeat felt like her heart had just been squeezed in an ever-tightening vise. _How...losing Hot Red has never hurt before…_

Fullshadow Lich's skull watched her sway, cackling in a manner that was all too real and she could see something hungry in those empty socks. _That Number...is alive. Like Hot Red is alive. I…_

Then she pitched forwards, the world swallowed in darkness and cold as she crashed into the ground and didn't move.

TTTTTT

A plain triangle. An inverted triangle with a line through it near the base. A circle with two squiggly lines dividing it into quarters. An hourglass made of two triangles with a circle overlapping the connection. Two circles and a triangle in the shape of a Venn diagram. And a single, simple eye.

They were such simple designs. But they only made them harder to decipher. Sumire glowered at the holo screen her headset was projecting in mid-air in front of her. Her laptop was still cycling through the images and comparing the symbols to known historical records while the Pegasus' computer was a split-screen of the six drones. All of whom had the Pros waiting impatiently on it.

"Maybe they're some kind of number code?" Cathy suggested behind her. "Or a number cipher? Like one matches up to this letter of the alphabet and so on?"

"No, that's not consistent with the grid pattern they all go in." Annalissa was next to Sumire, her eyes focused on the screens. "And I swear I've seen them before...I know they symbolize something esoteric, not letters or numbers."

"There are too many choices." Sumire grunted in frustration. "They are so simple, variations of them occur across civilizations all over the globe. And we have no clues as to how they would relate to Duelist Kingdom and the force behind this game."

"I'd say this thing had to be on the island, though, right?" Cathy said slowly in realization. "Which means it might be connected to Pegasus and his doings. Wasn't he into a lot of magical things when he was younger? All that research he did for Duel Monsters - Egyptian hieroglyphs, Norse runes, cuniforms, alchemy -"

"That's it!" Annalissa slapped the desk in recognition. "Those are ancient alchemical symbols for the elements!"

Sumire looked at her. "The Lucindas are descended from a long-line of alchemists, are they not?" As Annalissa nodded, she continued. "Can you see some kind of pattern or connection to these symbols?"

"I think I can. They are really old and didn't exist for long or might have been unique to the alchemist using them. But...that one is fire…" The doctor pointed at the triangle with the wavy line. "And that one is water." She pointed at the circle and its squiggly lines.

"Given the grid, we have to arrange them in the right order. Is there some kind of significant set-up? Some kind of display about how all the elements of the word connect?"

"There is, but these symbols aren't public knowledge, so we can't google them. And I think I saw these only in a reference book." Annalissa frowned in concentration. "The Wald, I think it was called. The reference that the world was all elements and all elements were the world, humanity being one of the elements. That should be the eye…so put...fire in the top right and water in the bottom right."

Sumire nodded. "Toppa, move your piece to the top right corner. Reginald, yours must go into the bottom right corner."

The two Pros started at the sound of her voice, but sprang to move them. Plato's voice came back through the drones. _"Have you a solution, then?"_

"The beginnings of one, yes." Sumire didn't have to add that everyone was hoping by the time they got through the doors, it wasn't the end for their trapped friends.

TTTTTTT

Verthy stared at the Puppeteer, then her expression went hard. "I do not have to tell you anything!"

"You do not, but you will. Your stance, your voice, your expression…" The Puppeteer made the doll Verthy dance. "And of course, your memories…" An echoing breath from under his mask. "I wonder if the Pegasus boy will have anything to say once he learns of how he will die…"

"Silence! It's my turn!" Verthy drew and then her graveyard glowed. "The effect of Destiny Draw my Diamond Dude sent to the graveyard lets me draw two cards!" She drew twice more. "Now I activate D-Spirit! As I have no monsters, I can summon a D-Hero from my hand!"

In a flash of light, a burly warrior with dreadlocks appeared, his expression grim under his high-tech visor. "Destiny Hero-Dunker! And then I use his special ability! I discard a D-Hero and you take 500 damage!" (1200/1700)

She shoved a card into her graveyard and Dunker gathered energy in his hands, hurling it at her opponent and shoving him back a step. "But I'm not stopping there!" (PLP: 5900-5400)

"Oh, I know, Verthy…" The Puppeteer said, making the doll version of her dance as he chuckled. "Not until you've killed them all-"

"If you cannot be silent, then I will make you through force! I banish the Malicious I discarded to summon another one from my deck!" Verthy slapped down the card and the snarling hooved demon appeared. "Then I sacrifice them both! Come on, Dreadmaster!"

Her two monsters vanished and with growl, the hulking scared form of her monster burst out of the floorboards. His bellow was loud even through his mask. "And now that I've summoned him, I can call back Diamond Dude and Dunker from the graveyard!"

The two heroes reappeared in short bursts of light, then Verthy held up a third card as a new demon crawled out of the darkness. He too roared as he gained muscle, wings and grisly fangs. "By summoning and then banishing the third Malicious, I can bring out Malevolence from the Extra Deck! And Dreadmaster draws his power from all my heroes!" (1400/1700) (1200/1600) (2400/2400) (5000/5600)

"Malevolence! Destroy his Doll Chimera Remodeled!" Verthy snapped her fingers and her monster leapt to obey, tackling the broken doll fusion. Malevolence shrugged off the lashing tendrils from the ectoplasm inside and the room shook with its blows until in a spray of chaos stuff and plastic, the doll exploded.

"Such violence for one who wants me to believe she will not kill the one she will come to love…" Puppeteer shook his head mockingly as Verthy glared and pointed at his set card. It flipped up, revealing a continuous trap card whose image showed a toybox filled with Doll Parts, a faceless duelist in a redcap starting as Doll Chimera clambered out of the pile. "Doll Toybox activates! Because you destroyed a Doll Chimera, I can summon as many Doll Parts as I wish from my graveyard!" (PLP: 5400-5000)

Two doll heads, two sets of legs and a torso clattered out of the black void of the ceiling in front of him, (0/0x5)

"Dreadmaster! Dunker! Diamond Dude! Rid the field of those cast-offs!" Verthy barked, Dreadmaster easily smashing a doll head with a single bunch while Diamond Dude and Dunker's blasts just vaporized the two sets of legs. "I go to Main Phase 2 and use Diamond Dude's effect!"

She grabbed the top card of her deck and flipped it around. "Monster Reincarnation is a normal spell, so it goes to the graveyard." Sliding the card into her graveyard, she just nodded curtly at Puppeteer. "Now take your turn, you wastrel!"

"Heh...so it's not the fact I am speaking the truth that is bothering you, but the fact you see me as your inferior?" Puppeteer's eyes crinkled in amusement above his mask. "Tsk, tsk…"

"You are a murder and a grave robber, hounding your victims even beyond the grave. And see my personal torment as a weapon for your own use." The German woman said curtly. "I may have slipped up letting you provoke me, but I'll not let you do so again!"

"Fair enough, fair enough - then perhaps you'll believe the truth from someone of higher station...I activate the other effect of Doll Toybox!" The trap card glowed and the Puppeteer had the Verthy doll reach for the deck. "As I have at least two Doll Parts in play, I search a 'Doll' related card from my deck! And I pick another Doll Part Black!"

He tossed down the card and the pulsating black heart reappeared. "As before, when I summon this card, I summon as many Doll Parts as I wish from the graveyard!" A set of arms and a torso appeared on his field. "Then using Black, Red and Blue, I open the Overlay Network!"

The three named monsters were pulled into the floor and the room they were in fell silent. Verthy felt tension in the air thicken, as all the dolls seemed to grow eager and anticipatory.

"_Your reign started with the explosion of creation and will end in the fires that consume all things! With power as infinite as the countless stars, consume all enemies in your glory! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Number 83: Galaxy Queen!" _The Puppeteer's eyes reflected the shimmerng swirl of the portal as his new monster rose out of it. Auburn hair, perfect purples trimmed in gold and a ruthless, haughty expression her face that could fell armies, his new monster fit her name. (500/500)

Verthy felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, the dolls surrounding her having gone from malicious giggles and mocking looks to a quiet respectfulness. And it was far more eerie than anything they'd before. _This monster is something unnatural…_

There was heat on her arm and she glanced down at her Duel Disk, almost swearing she could see her deck pulsing with anger. _And whatever it is, the Ultimate D card does not like it at all._

"But what is a Queen without subjects? I activate Enchanting Fitting Room, paying eight hundred life points and revealing the top four cards of my deck." Puppeteer watched as a curtained red stage appeared on his field and spread itself, revealing Doll Parts, Blue and Yellow plus a copy of the spell Reload. "Ah, I only have space for two, but that is all I need." (PLP: 5000-4200)

A doll's head and a set of broken arms joined the damaged legs and torso he had floating on the field. "Then I activate another spell card - Chimera Spectre!"

Verthy jumped slightly as a wicked cackling echoed across the room, all the dolls along the wall jumping as well and huddling together. She watched the darkness behind the Puppeteer, heard the scuttling thumping of plastic on wood and something not quite human playing on the edges of the light. "What are you doing?"

"Chimera Spectre infuses ordinary Doll Parts with the same malevolence that brings the Doll Chimeras to life. This increases their attack by two thousand points!" The Puppeteer's clothing flapped as shadows leapt out of the darkness behind, plunging into the Doll Parts. Solid blackness oozed out of their cracks as the legs stood up, the head blinked to life, the arms clenched fists and the torso floated upwards. (2000x4)

Galaxy Queen lifted her staff, one of her three orbiting Xyz Material being pulled into it. The jewels atop it lit up, similar auras surrounding the Doll Parts and herself "My Queen now shields all my monsters from destruction by any means thanks to her effect! Now, we battle! Doll Part Blue attacks Dunker! Doll Part Red attacks Diamond Dude!"

The legs ran up to the diamond-studded hero, latching around his neck in a chokehold. The black ooze inside spilled out and oozed over his head. Then they leapt away and the hero's headless body thumped to the floor. Dunker fared little better, the doll's head's hair erupting like tentacles to lash around him and rip him to pieces. Only his head dropped to the floor. The both erupted into pixels and Verthy staggered from the backlash. (VLP: 5400-4000)

"Alas, my Doll Parts power isn't enough to beat over Malevolence or Dreadmaster and their battles would be futile despite my other successes…" The Puppeteer rasped dryly. "Like your own, Verthandi…"

He made her doll copy, now having gained some of her facial features, dance. "Do your visions show you when you'll accept that eventuality, of the impossibility of fighting against destiny? Or do they deny you even that peace, leaving to struggle in helplessness?"

Verthy straightened, her expression dark but she kept her lips shut.

"Hmph...so you figured out one of my weaknesses. I can't have a one-sided conversation. Then I'll just set this face-down and end my turn." The card appeared next to his Doll Toybox. "Now, Chimera Specter would destroy my Doll Parts - only a complete doll can contain the power safely. But my Queen's own power prevents that. So they remain."

"Not for long! I draw!" Verthy snapped up her card. "During my Standby Phase, Monster Reincarnation activates and lets me add Diamond Dude to my hand!" She plucked the card from her graveyard. "And now I'll summon him!"

With a battle cry, the hero reappeared in a flash of light and diamond. "Now I activate a spell! Tribute Advance! I rearrange the top five cards of my deck and then I can tribute summon again this turn!"

Puppeteer watched as Verthy pulled off a stack of cards and started to rearrange them. "A pity you cannot rearrange the future as easily, but that would be delaying inevitable...each action you take a draw from the deck of life." His mask made his knowing tone dark and harsh. "How many cards till you draw your destiny, I wonder?"

"You will not rattle me!" Verthy barked and then pointed at Diamond Dude. "I use my monster's effect!" She held up the top card of her deck. "Destiny Diamond is sent to the graveyard!"

The card slid into her graveyard and then Diamond Dude vanished. Replaced by a dynamite-strapped hero whose weapon of choice was already lit and dangerous. "Because I tribute summoned Dynamiteguy, I can send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard! The monsters among my next three cards are Destiny Heroes Celestial and Dasher! So not only is your Doll Part Blue going to be destroyed, your Queen's reign is at an end!" (2000/100)

Dynamite's brace of larger-than-life sticks went off, the force crashing into the Puppeteer's field and shrouding it in smoke. Verthy's satisfied smile cleared when it did, revealing his monsters unharmed. "Your monster's effect lasts through my turn as well!?"

"Did I not mention?" The Puppeteer and his Verthy doll both adopted a startled pose. "Between the vision of you cradling a dead husband and one of you burying a dead wife, I'm afraid it must have slipped my mind...just how _do _you sleep at night, knowing these things?

"You're just telling me things I already know - what effect do you think that will have?!"

"Ah, I'm not too sure..." Puppeteer and the doll both scratched their chins and then pointed at Verthy. "Why don't you tell me when your hands stop shaking?"

Verthy didn't look at her hands - she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. Or her fears that acknowledgement. But she did clench her fingers a bit tighter together. "Here's something I will tell you - thanks to having Dynamite Guy in play, Dreadmaster powers up! And he and Malevolence will attack your Doll Parts since your Queen cowers in defense mode!" (2400-4400)

The demon charged, slashing the doll head across the face but his claws left nothing. Dreadmaster followed up with a double-fisted sledgehammer blow that shook room...and didn't budge the head an inch. (PLP: 5000-4600-2200)

The Puppeteer staggered dramatically from the blow, the doll Verthy doing the same. "Your wrath stings...but its fuel is fear, girl...and that will consume you."

"If you are going to talk about everything but your moves, then surrender already!" Verthy watched as her two monsters returned to her field, their glares matching hers. "End turn!"

"As you like." The Puppeteer drew and his set car flipped up. "The trap card Backup Soldier. I add three normal monsters with less than fifteen hundred attack from my graveyard to my hand." He held up three of his Doll Parts and added them to his hand. "Then I play Doll Parts Shuffle, shuffling four Doll Parts into my deck and then drawing five new cards in total."

He drew again and then held up another spell card. "Dark Factory of Mass Production allows me to pick up two more Doll Parts. But I will be using Magical Stone Excavation to send them back to the graveyard so I may pick up Chimera Spectre again."

Verthy's expression didn't change, but her eyes flicked to her monsters worryingly.

"I activate Chimera Spectre, banshing the original Doll Chimera from my graveyard to increase the power of my Doll Parts again! And then Galaxy Queen's effect shall protect them once more!" The Doll Parts all somehow gained bulging veins, their plastic bodies cracking and chipping further as the things inside them gained mass. The Queen just smiled as she sucked another orb into her staff and a glow suffused all five monsters. (2000-4000x4)

"Now Doll Part Blue attacks Dynamite Guy!" The Doll Part floated forwards, spiked tendrils erupting out of its damage and ensnaring her hero.

"Reverse card open D - Soul! Since you're attacking my hero, this trap allows me to banish another hero in my graveyard and give their attack points to Dynamite Guy! I choose Dasher!" Verthy held the monster up as it slid free of her graveyard. "And his attack is twenty-one hundred!" (2000-4100)

Explosions ripped apart the lashing tendrils from the inside, revealing Dynamiteguy. He was scuffed up and damaged, missing one of his bandoliers. But alive. (PLP: 2100)

"And that attack increase means Dreadmaster is safe as well...but your fusion is not! Doll Part Red! Attack!" The Puppeteer gestured and the doll legs sprinted forward and jumped, landing a kick that punched through Malevolence like he was soft cheese. The fusion stared at the bleeding wound, then exploded into pixels in mid-roar of rage. Verthy staggered from the backlash, grabbing one of the counters for stability. (VLP: 4000-2400)

"Your doll is taking shape…" The Puppeteer held it up. The doll Verthy was looking more life-like now, replete with her features. "And your destiny becomes more clear...Belldandy…"

Verthy's blue eyes widened, then narrowed ruthlessly. "How dare you!"

"I dare because I am dead and have nothing else to do." The Puppeteer made a sweeping gesture. "You are free to expend your wrath upon me in exchange…" His eyes lit with a dark smile that his mask hid. "It may be the only choice you ever get to have…"

"Silence!" Verthy ripped her next draw from her deck. "It's my standby phase and now I use the effect of Destiny Diamond! Since Destiny Dude sent it to the graveyard, I can banish it and it copies the effect of any normal spell in my graveyard! I select Destiny Draw, so I draw twice more!"

Snapping up her new cards, her field slot popped open. "I activate the field spell Castle Terminus!" The dolls surrounding them all clattered and panicked, but were swept away as their surroundings changed. Now they were standing in a medieval-style castle, swathed in black and a giant clock tower face behind Verthandi. "Then I summon D-Hero Captain Tenacious!"

Her new hero was bare-chested, wielding armored shells on either hand and ragged red hair. "Now all three of my monsters become sacrifices to summon the greatest D-Hero!" Dreadmaster, Captain Tenacious and Dynamiteguy all sank into the floor and became a pool of blood. It erupted upwards, splashing back down to reveal an emaciated man with great leathery wings and a dragon's head on arm, the thing extending up over his shoulders and down the other as a tail blade. "Destiny Hero - Plasma!" (1900/600)

The Puppeteer's eyes widened at the sight of Plasma, while his Galaxy Queen just glared. Only to sag against her staff as her colors began to be sapped away. "What is that thing doing!?"

"In the face of Plasma, all of your monsters lose their powers! Their effects are useless! And if they weren't, I will be removing the threat of your Queen right now!" Verthy lifted a hand and Plasma spread his wings. "My monster's second power! It can absorb yours! _Gravity Blood!_"

Galaxy Queen shrieked in defiance as her form broke apart into motes of light. They became flecks of blood and were sucked into his wings. "And now, Plasma gains attack points equal to-"

Verthy broke off as Plasma suddenly began to thrash about. A ugly red glow surrounded him and began to spark violently, tearing at his body. The hero bellowed in pain and lashed out blindly, trying to hit an enemy that wasn't there. The Queen's spirit appeared in front of him, twisting and snarling and hugging herself in pain as well. Cracks began to spread over Plasma's body, spilling out ugly light.

With an inhumane roar, Plasma exploded. Verthy was thrown backwards, crashing into the clock face behind her, saw the Puppeteer go flying back himself and the world swam in front of her. _How…?_

TTTTTTT

"My move!" Jessie snapped up her next card. She glanced at her pile of nuts and washers, expression tight. "I bet I will deal you one thousand damage this turn!" She shoved a stack of her 'chips' forwards.

"Really? And here I thought you'd just wall up and try to think of a strategy, but you Wheelers have always been hot-heads." Keith folded his burly arms. "Run right into trouble headfirst."

"There's more to my name than my dad's - and we Valentines always have a plan!" Jessie caught the card that her deck spat out and slapped it into her field zone. "The field spell Altar of the Mind's Eye!"

The air around them warped and twisted, removing the gambling hall and leaving them surrounded by torches in a sandstone temple with an altar behind Jessie. "And since you gave me Jizukiru, it'd be a shame to waste him!"

"Is that right?" Keith watched as the kaiju mech began to surge with lightning, the energy gathering at the tips of its claws. "Well, his attack name is _Thunder Roar."_

"You brought out my 'all my care' face again, Keith! Jizukiru! Attack Dyson Sphere with _Jessiebelle Roar_!" Jessie grinned as the monster lifted his arms and opened fire, the lightning having become searing lasers that rocketed up into the 'sky'. On the screen above Keith, they became bright dots visible against the backdrop. "And with Altar of the Mind's Eye in play, any damage you take will become one thousand! So suck it!"

Her grin dropped with the blasts slammed into Dyson Sphere, expending themselves harmlessly a few yards away against a shimmering barrier. "Deflector shields!? Seriously!?"

Keith laughed. "Dyson Sphere's got top-notch technology! As long as it has Xyz Material, I can negate any attack against it!"

_Conniving son of a bitch! You'd think with that big mouth of his, he'd have spilled the beans! _Jessie glared at him, then saw her chips sliding across the table towards him. _Oh no -! I didn't deal him any damage!_

Her scream of pain echoed about the temple and blood spurted from a fresh wound on her arm, Keith's smile dark under his sunglasses. "Looks like you're all talk and no bark, girlie."

He drew for his turn. "But you scream pretty well, so let's make sure you can do the one thing you're good at! Hah! I bet I'm going to deal you twenty-eight hundred damage!" He shoved a massive stack of chips towards the center of the table. "I detach Dyson Sphere's last material, meaning Overlay Profit lets me draw again and my monster can attack you directly! _Brilliant Bombardment!"_

Dyson Sphere charged up all along its massive cannons and fired, the city-swallowing burst of power morphing in a pencil-thin beam that pierced through Jessiebelle's chest. Another screamed echoed across the temple and she fell to her knees, clutching at the smoking wound.

"Hah! That was even better than the last time! I-" Keith stopped as he saw her life points trickle down...and stop. "What gives!?" (JLP: 5200-4200)

"Altar of the Mind's Eye, ass. It works both ways." Jessie managed to grin despite her pain as Keith's expression dropped. "And since you didn't deal the damage you bet…"

Keith bellowed in anger, then in pain as his legs erupted in red and his stack of chips scooted itself over to Jessie's pile. She felt her skin itch, some of the bleeding stopping, but she still felt woozy. _Damn. Doesn't look like winning chips fixes things. What a twisted game - we 're just racing to see who dies first!_

"Tch...just got lucky…." Keith grunted through grit teeth. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Jessie did so. Nothing she had in hand would help right now, but it didn't matter. _Now's my chance - that thing is out of Xyz Material so its shields are down! _"I bet you'll take one thousand damage this turn! Jizukizu! Blast that thing out of the atmosphere! _Jessiebelle Roar!_

"It ain't that simple! When Dyson Sphere is attacked and has no materials, I can give it two from my graveyard!" Keith sneered as his machine lit up with power agan and the laser blasts splashed against its restricted shields. "So you lose this round!"

_Dammit! _Jessie hugged her forearms, nails digging as wounds spurt open over her body - she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of screaming again. "End...end turn!"

"Draw!" Keith snapped up his card and grunted in annoyance as he pushed a small pile of chips forwards. "I bet you'll take one thousand damage! Dyson Sphere! _Brilliant Bombardment!"_

Light shot down and slammed through Jessiebelle a third time, dropping her to one knee. But her lips remained stubbornly closed. (JLP: 4200-3200)

"Tch, your pops was a stubborn ass, too - didn't know when to quit! I set one card face-down!" Keith watched it flash into existence before him. "End turn!"

"D-draw!" Jessie got back to her feet as she drew. She glanced at the card, staring at it for a long moment, then reached out and shoved about half of her remaining chips forwards. "I bet you'll take five thousand points of damage this turn!"

"Five-" Keith gawked, then laughed. "You must have snapped from the blood loss, chickie! You ain't got a chance in hell of doing that! The odds have to be worse than one in a million!"

"Don't ever tell me the odds! I activate Monster Recovery! I shuffle all monsters and cards in my hand back into my deck, then I draw five new cards!" Jessie smirked as Jizukiru winked out of existence, a card floating back to Keith's deck. She hit the auto-shuffler and then drew five new cards. "Graceful Charity! I draw three cards and discard two!"

Doing so quickly, she held up a third spell card. "Monster Reborn! I revive Don Zaloog!" In a flash of light, the gun-toting bandit reappeared with a cocky smirk on his face. (1400/1500)

"And what's that piker going to do against Dyson Sphere, huh?" Keith demanded. "He's got half his attack points!"

"He's also got what you don't, Keith - friends! I activate the quick-play spell Gathering of the Dark Scorpions! Since I special summoned Don, I can add Gorg, Meanae, Chick and Cliff from anywhere to my hand!" The four named cards slid out of her deck and she added them to her hand. "Then another Terraforming nets me the field spell Cave of Wonders - Scorpion's Nest! And I'm activating it!"

The stone temple around them became a cave and treasure spilled out of everywhere. "This lets me add a Dark Scorpion card to my hand and I'll be nabbing Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! With Don in play, I can summon the rest of the gang!"

The burly strongman appeared, thumping his mace in one hand. "Gorg the Strong!" (1800/1500)

The lithe beauty followed, cracking her rose-thorn whip. "Meanae the Rose!" (1000/1800)

Next in lean was a reed of man, casually flipping a knife in one hand as he readjusted his glasses with the other. "Cliff the Trap Remover!" (1200/600)

Last was a short youth, gripping his mallet tight and bouncing from foot to foot with nervous anticipation. "And Chick the Yellow!" (1000/1000)

"Those pieces of cardboard couldn't sting a fly, let alone me!" Keith sneered at them. "I'll knock them down just by breathing too hard!"

"Don't bet on it! See, their field spell lets them attack you directly, though they can only do it for four hundred damage! So Chick, put his theory to the test! _Hammer Blow!_" Jessie pointed and the youth acted, running forwards and spinning on one heel to land a two-handed blow of his mallet to Keith's chest.

Keith just laughed as the blow bounced off his chest so had, Chick stumbled and about dropped his weapon. "I told ya! That tickled - almost!" (KLP: 8000-7600)

"Let's see you laugh this off! When Chick deals damage, I can bounce one card on the field! Like your Dyson Sphere!" Jessie watched in satisfaction as Keith's monster just vanished, leaving the Earth alone in space. "And since you've got jack all on your field now - my other Scorpions will attack you directly! Go!"

Don opened with his pistols, staggering Keith even as Meanae's whip lashed across his chest. Cliff's daggers lodged in one of his shoulders before fading away and then the big man was dropped to his knees as Gorg's mace smashed down on his head. (KLP: 7600- 6200-5000- 4000- 2200)

"Agk...you...hrrk…" Keith spluttered in pain, glaring at the floor as he tried to cope with the assault.

"Now their effects! Don forces you to discard a card, Cliff mills the top two cards of your deck, Gorg adds a third card to that stack and Meanae lets me search for another Dark Scorpion card!" Jessie fanned out her deck and made her choice. "And since I won my bet for the round, let's hear you scream!"

Keith hollered as blood erupted from his body, staining the surrounding treasures with red. He hacked up some more and slammed a defiant fist in the floor. "You...bitch…!"

"I set one card face-down." Jessie swept the card into her disk. "What's the matter, Keith? Weren't you all excited to bet your life on this game?"

Keith's shoulders shook and for a moment, she thought he was going to surge into a rage, but then she heard a new sound from him. "Are - are you laughing?!"

"Of course am, you stupid broad! How could I not when you're thinking being hurt like this means anything to me!?" Keith got to his feet, suddenly very uncaring of his wounds. "That look on your face - like you'd actually won something! Better than any jackpot!"

Jessie grit her teeth. "You can bark all you want, but why don't you take a look at the scoreboard before you start saying you were planning this!"

"Please, you think I'm dumb enough to rely on strategy? That the cards in my hand are for show?" Keith drew for his turn and flipped around a spell. "Another Interrupted Kaiju Slumber! Your Scorpions are extinct!"

Jessie braced herself as all five of her monsters exploded and the looming shadow of Jizukiru reappeared over her while the Super-Anti Kaiju Mech was again on Keith's field. "Don't tell me-!"

"Reverse card open! Call of the Haunted!" Keith laughed as a second copy of his monster appeared alongside the first. "Now I open the Overlay Network again!"

His two monsters twisted into spheres of light, shot skywards and the screen of deep space reopened as Dyson Sphere floated into view. And it was already charging up power to attack. "So...where's that cocky attitude now, Wheeler?"

TTTTTTT

Lero watched the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon's attack barreled for him...and then smirked at Pegasus' surprised expression as the attack suddenly swerved to the left and crashed into his Cyber Dragon Alsafi, destroying it. "I know how Toons work. Summoning Alsafi wasn't a whim - it has an effect similar to Staunch Defender, meaning you have to attack it. And can't attack me when it's destroyed."

The burning scraps of his monster glowed and then a card slid out of his deck. "And since it was destroyed, I can summon a light machine from my deck that's level five or lower." A screen opened up behind him, displaying a satellite drifting along in space. "I choose Satellite Launcher." (500/500)

Then his set card lifted. "The trap Left Arm Offering means I discard my hand and add a spell of my choice to it." He shoved his remaining card into the graveyard and then caught the card his deck slid out. "You know, you did get one thing right about my dad - he always talks a big game, but unless he's serious, it just blows up in his face."

He smiled as his opponent growled, expression fierce. "For claiming to be Maximillion Pegasus 'dueling instincts', you're a pretty poor showing."

"Even a fool can be lucky, Lero-boy. Your little tricks just mean I have to start taking this duel more seriously. Now we can play for real instead of kicking around your sandbox." Pegasus said and swept a card into his disk. It materialized behind his Toons. "I end my turn with this face-down."

"My move." Lero drew and slid the card into his disk. "I set this face-down and then activate Card of Demise! I draw until I hold five cards!" Drawing his new hand, he pointed and the card he had just set flipped up. "I activate the continuous spell card Satellite Charging Station!"

A new screen opened behind him, displaying a space-station with a galore of solar panels and shuttles traveling to and fro. "And just to keep things up in the air, the field spell card World Satellite Array!"

The ceiling above them vanished, replaced by a starry sky with a small number moving, blinking dots through it. Lero glanced around at the sight of Castle Nightdread still around them and frowned. "Tch...someone's been reading the new rules."

"You mean the one where two field spells can exist at the same time?" Pegasus smiled in satisfaction. "Well, you do _occasionally _have a good idea...unlike the time you thought you could fly…"

"And here's a better idea - beating you in one turn! I activate Machine Duplication, targeting Satellite Launcher and summoning two more from my deck!" Two more screens opened, displaying the floating satellites. "And since my Launchers count as 'Satellite Cannon', my field spell lets me add 'Charge!' from my deck to my hand!"

Snapping up two copies of the spell, he flipped around Polymerization. "Now I fuse my three Cannons into Satellite Laser Balsam - X!" The launchers all projected holograms of Satellite Cannon around themselves, then jumped into hyperspace. Only one, much larger and more dangerous satellite reverted to realspace with its staggering amount of weapons already powering up. (0/0)

Lero snapped up a hand and more screens opened up. "Now that my Satellite Launchers have been sent to the graveyard, they launch their payloads and summon out my Satellite Cannons!" The three smaller satellites warped into existence around the larger Balsam-X. (0/0x3) "And so I search out the last copy of Charge!"

"Please tell me I'm going to get a 'Charge out of this' or some other pun - it's family tradition." Pegasus asked with a smile, which quickly fell into a sigh as he saw the weapons all of Lero's satellites start to power up. "Oh, I'm technically the dead one and yet _you're _still the stiff, Lero-boy."

"I'm also the one with all the firepower - since I used three copies of Charge, my Satellite Cannons all gain six thousand attack points!" Lero smirked as his monsters' scores shot up. Behind him, Satellite Charging Station unfolded more panels and shone with new energy. "Now Balsam-X attacks Toon Dark Magician!" (0-6000x4)

"Mmm - how about 'no'?" Pegasus shoved a card into his graveyard and a switch appeared next to Toon Dark Magician. He flicked it and deep in space, all of the lights went out around Lero's Satellites. There was a repeated dinging noise and then a 'bzzzt' noise. "Oooh, looks like without the lights on, your monster can't acquire a targeting lock on mine!"

"Cute." Lero's eyes narrowed. "This another effect of your field spell?"

Indeed it is, indeed it is." Pegasus nodded. "I can send 'Toon World' or 'Toon Kingdom' from my deck to the graveyard and then Nightdread ensures my Toons can't be harmed by your attacks or card effects at all." He raised a finger, as though a thought had occurred to him. "Oh - and this includes Castle Nightdread as well."

"Lord, you really are a knock-off of my father - you just fall into the whole 'evil has to be even cooler than good just to showcase how dangerous it is'." Lero rolled his eyes and scoffed. _Not that I can do anything about that protection effect right now. _"I end my turn and so all of my Satellite Cannons gain one thousand attack points and Balsam-X gains three thousand!" (6000-7000x3) (6000-9000)

"I draw." Pegasus drew, watching as Lero's Satellite Charging Station grew in power and new sets of battery banks were underneath. "That spell is doing something interesting - I'm assuming it has something to with its name and your Cannons gaining attack points…"

Lero just looked back at him flatly. "You're the game creator, shouldn't you know?"

"Tsk, tsk - how rude you are! I know you raised you better than that!" Pegasus waggled a finger at him and then sighed as Lero's look didn't change. "Oh well, if you're going to be like that, then I'll just have to remind you the hard way which one of us is the parent _and _the better duelist."

He grabbed a card in his hand and a cartoonish building with 'Bank' on it bubble letters appeared in front of him. Its windows ejected out like cash drawers and began to fire out dollar bills. "I activate a continuous spell of my own, Toon Bank, and I won't tell you what it does either!"

Toon Dark Magician held out his staff and a portal opened up alongside him. "Then I discard another Toon card and use my monster's ability to summon out Toon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck!" Out of the portal flew another cartoonish parody of a famous monster. But where the original Toon Red-Eyes had a charming, 'fierce but cute' feel to it, it became far more sinister under the effects of Castle Nightdread.

The jagged black body's edges had a razor-like edge, it smelt of brimstone and as it moved, inky blood would trickle out between the segments of its body. And its eyes were primal and hungry. (2400/2000)

"Isn't he just lovely? And like all my good pets, he's got a wonderful trick! He can summon out a Toon from my hand so come on out, another Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" Pegasus slapped down the card and another of the viscous, heavily-inked toons appeared alongside the first. They glanced at each other and then at Lero, both cracking their knuckles. (3000/2500)

"Now that I've assembled a formidable force, why don't we give a one-time special performance for three of Duel Monsters most iconic monsters! You can pay us with every one of your life points!" Pegasus lifted his hand and his Toons all readied themselves. "Toon Dark Magician! Give us a magical show-starter! _Dark Magic Attack!"_

The Toon stabbed his staff forwards and Lero grunted as the colors of his world inverted for a few moments. Then reality snapped back so hard he swore he heard a 'thwap' sound and he staggered at the sudden crush of pain in his mid-section.

"Red-Eyes Toon Dragon - follow it up and give him a real reason to know he's in the hot seats for this! _Black Fire Bullet!" _Red-Eyes Toon Dragon opened its mouth, spewing out a stream of fireballs that rocked Lero's field, leaving him trailing wisps of smoke and the art studio's carpet ashes under his feet.

"And for our grand finale - a duet by my two Blue-Eyes Toon Dragons! _Burst Stream of Destruction!" _Pegasus smiled as his two dragons inhaled air, bellies ballooning out comically and then in unison, they fired two massive blasts of energy right at Lero. They exploded and he saw Lero's form go crashing against the far wall, scattering a stack of canvas and paints. "Thank you, farewell and amen, my boy!"

The piles of canvas shifted and Pegasus' smile dropped as Lero shoved his way free of the art supplies, grabbing his cane for support as he got to his feet. As the younger man did, his life points flashed up above his head. "Eight thousand one hundred? And just how is that supposed to be funny, young man?" (LLP: 8100)

"It's funny because you're not laughing." Lero said with a smile himself and he hoped the confidence in hit hid the pain he was in. _Feels like I feel down a few flights of stairs after running a marathon! _"It's the effect of my Satellite Charging Station. Each time my Cannons gained power, it gained one counter for every one thousand gained. And I can expend those counters to boost my life points or their attack power."

He pointed up the window displaying his little armada and their still glowing weapons. "Collectively, my monsters gained twenty-five thousand attack points. I just used eleven counters of them to give myself nineteen thousand life points just before your attacks hit."

"_Well,_" Pegasus huffed with only slightly-less-than-mock indignation. "_I _have a continuous spell card, too! Toon Bank - it's time for me to make a withdrawl!" The bank's windows shut, there were various cash register noises followed by a clock chime and a dentist's drill before they shot out again. Instead of money, there were four Duel Monsters cards in the windows and he picked them free. "When my Toons deal you damage, I can draw one card for each!"

He scanned his new cards and his grin was back. "And it looks like the goddess of victory is smiling on me today. She just sent one of her cousins to give me some help." He grabbed a card and flipped it around so that Lero could see it. "Now be a good boy and tell Daddy what Mischief of the Time Goddess does?"

Lero's eyes widened. "That lets you skip my turn and go straight to your next Battle Phase!" The Toons were already charging up attacks and he jabbed a finger skywards. "I expend eleven counters to increase my life points!" Light flooded around him. (LLP: 8100-19100)

"Oh, darn, your life points will survive my attacks!" Pegasus snapped his fingers in frustration. Then his grin became malignant. "But I don't think that's red paint on your suit, son - so do you think _you'll_ survive?"

Lero didn't have time for a witty comeback, not that he had the brainpower to spare to think of one. He was too busy feeling another round of searing pain all through his body and wood splintered under him as he smashed into the canvases, then something wet and sticky he hoped was paint plastered itself over his suit. _"Shit…" _(LLP: 8200)

"I did not teach you swear, young man, even if you're facing your own shortcomings straight in the face! I mean, really, what son of mine just folds up after taking only _two_ game-ending hits one after another?" Pegasus mocked. "And you call yourself a Pegasus!"

Lero kept his mouth shut, on account he knew that not giving his father ammunition was the quickest way to get him to shut up and on the account of he was afraid doing so would let all the pain in him escape as vomit. He leaned hard on his cane and tried to ignore how the world was hazy at the edges. Or how all of Peagsus' monsters were just laughing at him. Or how he could feel...something...trickling over his brow.

"Don't pull that strong and silent type with me, Lero-boy, I am your father and I'm going to get an answer out of you!" Pegasus chuckled to himself as he drew four more cards for Toon Bank. "Even if I have to force one!"

He grabbed another card and held it up. "I'll go to my Main Phase 2 and activate the spell Shadow Toon! Now I take the shadow of one of your monsters, make it a toon and it blasts you for damage equal to your monster's attack points." He lifted a finger and pointed at the image of Satellite Laser Balsam-X. "And I pick...the one monster you have with more attack points than your life points!"

Lero gaped as a screen appeared above Pegasus, showing the darkness of space and devoid of anything else. Then lights appeared, one after another in a ring and they all fired, converging on a single point. Through the center of that point a final beam fired. The ceiling above gained an ever-increasing glow that was rapidly becoming blindly. "I expend the last three to raise my life points again!"

He might have heard his life points increasing as the blast slammed into him. 'Might', because not only was the blast of power deafening, somehow the pain he was suddenly feeling was also deafening. The attack ended as quickly as it had begun, but Lero was only dimly aware of it. His reality at the moment was the dark ceiling above him, the pain and the panicked thudding of his own heart in his ears. (LLP: 2200)

TTTTTTT

"Ummm…." Cathy's voice pulled Sumrie away from the flashing images on her computer screen and looked over to see the reporter pointing at the screen that displayed the live-feed from the Duel Disks sensors. "Is Mister Pegasus' bars supposed to be that red? Or that high?"

"No, they're not." Annalissa was looking at it with a professional frown. "His heart rate is climbing and his respiration is high...and they're well above something like exercise or a duel. The Darkness Game he's in must be taxing him…"

"Jessiebelle's vitals are also higher than they should be." Sumire said without looking over - she didn't want to commit to memory her husband's current state; it would make her own anxiety set to boil that much faster. "So we should get them help. Doctor, are these the right places for the symbols?"

Annalissa looked over at the set-up and then pointed. "No, swap Earth and Humanity. Humans go in the center because they are the center of all the elements, master of them and all that."

"Plato, please move your piece to the center and Daniel, your piece should go to the middle far right." Sumire watched as the two complied with the commands and there was a sudden, satisfying click and all six doors creaked open slightly to show only darkness beyond.

"_Geeze, that was anticlimactic." _Toppa drawled after a moment.

"Do not stand there and make witty remarks - go and duel!" Sumire snapped and guided the drones after the six men as they rushed in through the doors. Except the drones all bounced off the thresholds and went flying backwards. A headache erupted as her brain tried to cope with the vastly different and new perspective shifts. "A barrier!?"

"Guess if you're not a duelist, you aren't getting in." Annalissa said tightly, switching her gaze back to the status screens along with the other two women. "Look - we're still getting a signal."

Sumire watched as six new stats of vitals appeared alongside her friends. She knew at this point she could only wait and yet her fingers dug into the arms of her chair tightly. _There has to be more I can do to help!_

TTTTTTT

Rosemary forced herself to stand against the pain, glaring from under her bangs at Ryou. "You...you do not love me, Uncle. I do not know if you are his shade called back from beyond the afterlife or some kind of twisted mockery of his memory, but this is not love!"

He sighed, as if he was expecting her response and just nodded. "I know...I know…" Those empty eyes stared at the floor for a long moment and then he straightened, filled with a kind of terrible resignation. "But just because you don't understand, does not mean it is not any less true what we are. And I have to do this."

Ryou drew for his turn, then glanced at the Swords of Revealing Light still caging in his monsters. "I cannot attack you, but the trap I just drew will deal with that." He flipped it around to show her. "It's called Volcanic Mine. When I activate it during your next Standby Phase, you will get five Bomb Tokens. Then I am going to use Playdread Rite's effect to place a String Counter on each of them, meaning you will be unable to tribute them or attack with them. And then, when you end your turn, Gimmick Puppet of Strings will destroy them all and deal you their attack as damage. Meaning you...will lose."

He plugged the card into his disk and it appeared in front of him. "I end my turn."

Rosemary stared at his card, fingers curling into fists. _What do I do? Nothing my hand will work around that card and he can activate it the moment I draw. I...I…_ The spirit behind her twitched and spasmed in reflection of warring emotions, curling tighter on itself as if that could protect her from the stress and despair. _"_I…"

Her Duel Disk interrupted her with a sharp beep. _"Battle Royal Mode now engaged! A new challenger approaches! The turn becomes theirs!"_

A door banged open, both Rosemary and Ryou starting in surprise as a figure swept through it and strolled into the Gimmick Theatre like he owned it. "Hey, hey, hey, somebody order a pizza? Extra spicy with a side of awesome? And you wash it down with my latest and greatest hit - Toppa All The Charts!"

"Toppa?!" Rosemary stared as the rapper waved his arms, clearly trying to work up the crowd. But the dolls all just stared at him silently.

"Man, what a tough crowd - buncha stiffs…" Toppa rolled his eyes and threw Rosemary a smile and a thumbs-up. " 'sup? I'm here to help!"

"You are not welcome here - !" The flush of irritation was the first real emotion Ryou had displayed the entire duel. "Leave!"

"Not happening, ghoul gruesome! You wanna play with the big dogs, you gotta expect to keep up with the pack!" Toppa declared and held up his arm, his Duel Disk activating. "Now why don't you turn down that mouth while I turn up the heat!?"

TTTTTTT

Panik regarded his unconscious opponent - Kaede had not moved after he had destroyed her Hot Red Dragon Archfiend. He was not sure how long it was, but he knew in time her Duel Disk would ping as she failed to take a turn and automatically forfeited.

But time also had no meaning in this place constructed from Master Nitemare's power. That thought made him freeze, the dread inside him colder than the dead hanging from the surrounding trees.

What if because time was stopped here, her turn would never forfeit? They'd both be stuck here, forever, in this state between death and life, waiting.

Always waiting.

The dead hanging in the turns creaked as they turned slowly on their ropes, all of them seeming to come to stare at him. All of them having that slight, knowing, mocking smirk. And he could hear all the voices again - _'Stupid man. He made his own prison again. Can't even do the job he's supposed to be good at it. Stupid, hollow man. Empty of courage. And too dumb to be afraid.'_

"No!" He bellowed at the voices and they retreated to the bitter and cold gusts of wind that swept through the Forest of Suicides. "I am not a man! I am the one who kills demons! The one who cannot die! I am Panik!"

'_You cling to that name, don't you? And it's a good one. Panik. Because that's all you know how to do. You're always panicking. You couldn't even handle a little girl as your opponent. You were afraid of her flames and her hell demons. Afraid of her…'_

"PANIK FEARS NO DUELIST!" His roar echoed through the trees, silencing the voices again. But it couldn't shut up those judging, dead eyes or those taunting smirks.

"Well, that's a pity, really. I mean, without fear, how do you know when you're facing something that's a true challenge?"

Panik's head twisted to look at the man descending down the steps that were a part of Kaede's field spell. He was gangly and bare chested, covered in tattoos. "Who are you!?"

"You can call me Crypt. And I'm a professional." He knelt and checked Kaede's pulse. Seemingly satisfied she was alright, he stood again. "And in about five seconds, I'm going to duel you."

"Duel me - I do not know how you came to be here, but you will have to wait until I've finished disposing of Little Mouto!" Panik said, then started as a voice from Kaede's Duel Disk.

"_Battle Royal Mode engaged! A new challenger approaching! The turn becomes theirs!" _

"And there we go." Crypt held up his Duel Disk and it activated. "So you look like Panik, yell like Panik, but that doesn't mean much."

"If you know of me, then you know you should be turning around and running, fool! Especially since I have the power of my Number!" Panik pointed at his Demilich and its clones and all of them raised their scythes menacingly. "You'll never be able to defeat it and when you lose, I will string you and Little Mouto up as trophies!"

"Please - didn't you hear what I just said? This is the kind of challenge a real professional would want any day of the week!" Crypt drew his opening hand, his blue-tinted smile garish and wide, stretching his cheeks so much it looked like his lanky body was topped by an actual skull. "So let's see if being dead did anything but improve your mouth, Panik!"

TTTTTTT

"Fascinating. I've heard that Shadow Games can warp reality to suit the participants. But to be stranded in a desert, surrounded by pieces like that of the Millenium Puzzle...and dueling what appears to be Seto Kaiba. Does that speak to the idea that even in death, Kaiba cannot let go of his grudge against Yugi...or is it reflective of how their rivalry could be easily transfused into passion…"

"Blackwood, quit talking fanfic bullshit and help!" Jackie barked at the big man as he trudged his way up the dune, apparently more curious than worried about their surroundings. At least she thought he was - his poker face was looking like it was his only face. "And how the freak did you get here?!"

Kaiba stared at him in confusion, then in frustration. "Did you just insuitate I have feelings for Mouto?!"

"We seem to be still in Pegasus Castle - we got in by solving a puzzle. And I am here to help." Blackwood's eyebrows as he took in Jackie's appearance. "You appear to be made out of Legos."

"What tipped you off?" Jackie rolled her eyes.

"I have asked you a question! Do not ignore me!"

"I have more questions, but they can wait. We must first defeat this spectre and hope the rest of our comrades are faring as well." Blackwood said, clasping his hands in front of himself.

Jackie stared at him. "...why aren't you doing anything!?"

"Answer my question!"

"I am waiting for the signal." Blackwood said and as if summoned by his words, Jackie's Duel Disk beeped.

"_Battle Royal Mode engaged! A new challenger appears! The turn is theirs!"_

"And there we are." Blackwood stepped so he was a good distance away from Jackie, activating his Duel Disk. He paused as he apparently stepped in something odd and lifted up his foot to check under his sole. "Ah...I appeared to have a piece of you lodged in my boot sole."

"Yeah. Kaiba's ghost over there hits like a freight train." Jackie said with a shrug and winced as parts of her clicked and popped off. "So...don't get hit."

"I'll keep that under advisement." Blackwood turned to look at Kaiba fully, adjusting his shades. "Now then - to business."

Jackie scoffed. "What - you're not going to play twenty questions with the dead celebrity and all the mystical bullshit he went through? Isn't that what you conspiracy nuts live for?"

"No. My interests lie outside Seto Kaiba and his ego." Blackwood drew his opening hand. "So let's move on from this annoying interlude so I can get back to the real mysteries."

TTTTTTT

"Lero-boy, Lero-boy, can you heaarrr meeeee?" Pegasus drawled, but the pile of suit, debris and stains didn't respond. Or move. He huffed and folded his arms. "I can tell you're faking being asleep - I've been asleep long to know!"

Still no response.

"Mmm...is there a doctor in the house?" Pegasus asked of his Toons and they all looked at one another, then shrugged back at him. "Well, maybe we should get a stick and poke him, then."

Lero's Duel Disk beeped. _"Battle Royal Mode engaged. A new challenger approaches! The turn is theirs!"_

Pegasus blinked, the Toons all looking around the room in confusion. There was no one there, but them. "Now what was that about?"

TTTTTT

_"Battle Royale Mode engaged! A new challenger approaches! The turn is now theirs!"_

The Puppeteer found himself being tugged to his feet - the Verthy doll he had was pulling on her control strings like she was trying to reel him upright. "Ah, thank you, thank you - Miss...ah, what was your name again?"

The doll put a hand over her painted mouth and shook with silent laughter.

"Mmm…" The Puppeteer's satisfied noise didn't last long - the duel was still on and the field still wrecked from the explosion of their monsters. The dolls that lined the walls were cowering in stacks behind the counters and each other. He could feel a sense of fear and trepidation from them.

His opponent was motionless, slumped over one of the counters. But nothing dared approach her - her deck was still radiating that twisted aura that Plasma had given off.

"You are a strange one, indeed. To have something in your power that scares even the dead who have nothing left to lose, not even their names." He breathed at last. "I wonder...do you think that power will break your destiny? Or simply give you a worse one in its place? Perhaps your beloved will answer with his dying breath…"

Verthandi did not move to respond, but her deck pulsed with anger and all the dead and the dolls and the dark in the room flinched.

The Puppeteer tugged his hat brim low, but it was a feeble shield. It was a silly thought, for a being such as him, but he had a sudden urge to ensure that he did not die again. Plasma had frightened him, having eaten his Number like that. Eaten its _soul. _And that's all he was now - a soul. And if you were dead...and died again...where was there to go?

The dolls all turned to face him as if they'd read his mind and their mood shifted from fear to sudden, almost angry...curiosity. Like they wanted to test that little theory on him.

He tugged the brim of his hat lower.

A feeble shield, indeed.

TTTTTTT

Jessie almost didn't hear the beeping over the noise of Dyson Sphere powering up and Keith's guffawing.

"_Battle Royale Mode engaged! A new challenger approaches! The turn is theirs!"_

Hope surged, taking away some of her aches and pain. _Sumire or Plato or someone must have figured out this magical crud and sent help! _

Keith was staring at her, then looked around the gambling den. His grin was cruel. "Ain't nothing but robots gambling, kiddo. Looks help ain't coming! Guess that Wheeler luck has finally run out!"

Jessie's hope flicked out as quick as it had come and she couldn't help but think that Keith didn't know how right he was. When she needed it the most, when it was most necessary to come into her favor - her luck failed.

Then she sucked in a breath and when she exhaled, all those negative thoughts went with it. A trick learned from her mother - a woman who had had the worst luck in the world sometimes. And who had taught her some brash courage worked just as good. "Don't feel so happy, Keith - it just means you won't have an audience around when I wipe the floor, the walls and the ceiling with you!"

"Cute, kid, cute." Keith just sneered, as up in space, Dyson Sphere beganto power up another attack. "I'll be sure to engrave those words on your tombstone!"

Jessie watched the blast fire, a wave of energy that shrank to a pencil-thin beam that would hit like a tank. And hoped that she had enough luck to make this move work. "Reverse card open!"

TTTTTTT

Daniel had known something was wrong the moment he'd stepped through his door. Call it instinct, call it intuition or just plain experience, the crazy twisted world he'd been expecting with the duel he was intruding upon just wasn't crazy or twisted enough.

And that just made it all the more frightening.

He was standing in a world mirrored against itself and while he was upright, that was rarely an indicator that gravity was working properly. The surface he was walking on rippled like water when he moved, but never lost that mirror property. And looking up into the sky was just looking into a mirror.

Mirrors that had no horizon line or feature beyond their glass smoothness. No depth or shadows or details. A blank void. Infinity gazing back on itself.

"Daniel!"

He turned, surprised, to find Reginald there. The other Pro looked like he was slowing down from a sprint, yet Daniel knew he hadn't been behind him a second ago. And there was nothing on the surface to trace his passage. "Reginald - you okay?"

"Yes. For a given value of the word." Reginald said, glancing around them. "Where is this place? What is this place? And where are the duels?"

"I think we're in some kind of 'penalty room'. They must have gotten our puzzle pieces wrong." Daniel said, waving his hand to draw the other man's attention back to him - he didn't want to think about what staring out at the infinity around them would do to Reginald. He himself was already on edge and he had the experience with magic that Reginald did not.

"Blast! If that's true, then they're still in danger." Reginald bite out. "And so are we."

"Yes, you are."

Both Pros turned around. Striding towards them was the owner of the hollow, dark voice. A skeleton of black bone, trailing a cape of black fires. Like them, he cast no reflection, but rather the world around them seemed to reflect _him. "_We will duel. And you will be silenced."

Daniel and Reginald shared a look, then spread out slowly so they formed a twenty-foot triangle with the skeleton. The redhead shuffled his deck, his nerves calming as he did. Regardless of anything else, a duel was something he was familiar with. "And just who are you supposed to be?"

"I am Nitemare." Nitemare held up an arm and flames erupted out of the ether, twisting into a black stone Duel Disk that looked like it should have snapped his arm like a twig.

"Charming name." Reginald was shuffling his own deck and Daniel noticed that, despite the tense set in his jaw, his hands were steady. That put his fellow a notch up in his book. "Am I to assume you are responsible for all this?"

"We will duel." Nitemare repeated. "And you will be silenced."

"O-kaaayy…" Daniel frowned slightly. This wasn't good. Beings that caused things like this normally couldn't shut up about their own greatness or their plans or desire for revenge or something. But Nitemare's skeletal body was still as a statue and his blunt words either indicated he wasn't taking this seriously or he just didn't think the two Pros could pose a threat to him. _Any clue to what this guy wanted would be something…_

He glanced around around the infinite, mirrored darkness they were standing in and decided that any guy whose will made a Darkness Game something like this was already saying enough.

"Let's begin, then, Nitemare." Reginald was saying as he shoved his deck into his Duel Disk. "You face two of the most powerful duelists in the world - you will regret taking us both on at once!"

Nitemare just stared at them.

"Save your breath, Reginald. If he thinks we're not worth the effort to talk to, then we do it with our cards." Daniel slid his own deck home and both of them drew their opening hands in unison. After they did, Nitemare glanced between them and then drew his, one card at a time. _It's like...he's learning as he goes?_

There was only one way to answer that question, though. "LET'S DUEL!" (NLP: 8000) (DLP: 8000) (RLP: 8000)

TTTTTTT

Plato stood in the depths of infinity, in an ocean of darkness and did not drown. Or become wet. Or even stop drawing breath though there was no air to breath.

He, however, was deeply annoyed. Not at the fact they had gotten part of the door puzzle wrong - there were no certainties in dealing with things in life that and he doubted the force behind this would simply play fair because it could. No, he was deeply annoyed at the fact this force had felt it necessary to sequester him away like this _and _assume such a simple trap was going to do anything but provide a mild inconvenience.

Master Bellerophon and Master Sumire, along with their chosen duelists and their guests, were under his care while on Duelist Kingdom. And this malignant force behind it was putting them all in danger? No, no, that was _not _tolerable in the slightest and he'd be damned if something petty like trapping him in infinite darkness was going to stop him from dealing with this problem.

Plato reached down and touched his wedding ring. His wife had long since passed, but it wore it for the sentimental value - and the fact it was more than just a ring. As he twisted it, the stone - which was not a diamond, but a thin oval of teal - glowed and spat out a single spark. The spark hissed through the darkness around him, trailing bubbles and crackles of magical current. The magic it held defiant against the infinite darkness.

The spark bobbed in front of him for a few moments, then it began to rise above him. Plato followed it, swimming through the morass he found himself in. To many, the idea of trying to swim through infinity was impossible. But Plato was _the _manservant - and if he allowed himself a bit of pride, more magical than most - and such a task was only going to take him a short while.

He could only hope dealing with the force behind all this was going to take an equally short amount of time.

He still had to prepare dinner for fifteen, after all…

TTTTTT

Yoshito was not sure what was going on, except that it was magical, he hated it and he was regretting leaving his personal sortie of weapons on his plane when he'd arrived.

He was trapped in some kind of hallway, but the architecture had literally twisted around itself so he was more like walking around in some kind of horizontal cone. There were several other doors or windows, but they just opened back into themselves or spat him out back where he was. "Leave it to the Pegasus family to take inspiration from M.C. Escher!"

His phone went off and he about tripped in surprise - earlier attempts to phone out for help had given him nothing but busy signals. He yanked it out of its case and placed it to his ear. "It's about time! Tell me you have help and firepower on the way and I may decide to forgive how long it took for you to reach me!"

_"Are you talking to me like that because you think you're better than me, Yoshito?" _A cool voice said on the end. _"Or will I be chalking it up to the stress you're under?"_

Yoshito paled, his confidence spilling out of him like a punctuated balloon. "St-stress, sir."

"_That's what I thought."_

"Sir, I…" Yoshito swallowed thickly, his tongue suddenly numb with the taste of fear. "About the Tournament, I want to apologize-"

_"Oh, you can. But I won't be accepting it."_

Yoshito tried to swallow again, nearly choked on his tongue. "I...see…"

"_You see, unlike you, I arrange my plans so that the majority of outcomes benefit me. If you had won, having Industrial Illusions and the Kaiba girl in my pocket would have nice bonuses. But even though you lost, I still had time to do what needed to be done. You served as a magnificent distraction, Yoshito." _The voice was casual, even politely congratulatory. "_And all it cost you was your reputation, your public relations and every scrap of well-being and good graces you ever had. Well done, well done." _

Anger loosened his tongue. "It would have cost me nothing but time and effort if you had let me do it how I wanted! The tournament in two weeks - _after _I'd had time to spin this stupid contract bullshit into something we were resolving in a fun way and to set myself up as the good guy! But you insisted otherwise! You cost me everything!"

"_And yet, that is barely a dent in the debt your family owes me." _The voice responded. _"Still, you have a chance to repay more of it today. And come out ahead of this mess - after all, who doesn't love a hero swooping in to save the world from a magical crisis?"_

"What do you mean?" Yoshito asked after a long moment. "I can't solve this mess - I don't even know what's going on!"

"_I wasn't talking about Duelist Kingdom, Yoshito. It looks like something malevolent on the island woke up and I imagine the Pegasus boy and his friends are dealing with it. I was talking about the future, the war that will happen. And we're about to give your company the edge it needs." _Before Yoshito could respond, the voice continued. _"There is a door on the floor right in front of you. Open it."_

Yoshito blinked, realizing there indeed was a door just around the corner. He reached down and found the knob unlocked. He opened the door and peered into the dark beyond. "It's a staircase."

"_Step into it."_

Yoshito wanted to protest, but there was a seriousness in the voice that told him the time for arguments was past. He tentatively gripped the doorframe and lowered himself onto the staircase. It was inverted, but still felt solid as his feet touched it -

And promptly lost their grip on it when he let go of the door. The world spun as he tumbled into the staircase's ceiling and he had the vomit-inducing feeling of falling _upwards_ as he slid along the smooth stone like it was slid, slamming and crashing into the corners.

His trip ended when the staircase ended at another door that he crashed through and collapsed onto plush carpeting. Everything about him ached with developing bruises, but at least gravity worked like it should. He was able to stand up, clutching his head in one hand and phone in the other. "What was that?"

"_The force has warped the castle's interior to defy natural laws and physics. You just fell sideways through one of the towers."_

"That's impossible…" Yoshito said, then stared at the phone. "Wait - how are you able to even reach me? Or tell what's going on inside this place - that barrier outside…"

"_I've encountered things like it before." _ The voice said casually. _"Now, in front of you, there is a large, metal door, yes?"_

Yoshito looked up, seeing indeed there was a large metal door. And it was bent and twisted like taffy around itself, more like a curtain than a door now. "Yes. But it's broken."

"_Good. That is the Pegasus family vault. You are going to get inside and get me what I want from it."_

"And what do you want?"

"_Power."_

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __The duels intensify, but help has not arrived for all and now Reginald and Daniel face off against Nitemare itself. How many souls will survive? And how many will drown in the darkness? Find out in Duel Madness: Destiny Unfurled!_

_As a reminder: Some cards not listed here because they have not all their full effects revealed yet._

ORIGINAL CARDS

_Kaede:_

Archfiend Sword- Frightlush  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Equip only to an 'Archfiend' monster. Each time an opponent's card is destroyed by an Archfiend monster's effect, gain 600 life points x the number of cards destroyed. Each time an opponent's monster is destroyed by an Archfiend monster's effect, place one 'Archfiend Counter' on this card. When this card is destroyed as the result of an opponent's card, inflict 600 damage x the number of counters on this card to your opponent's life points.

The Horror's Will  
Normal Trap Card  
Effect: Destroy one 'Archfiend' card you control, then target one 'Archfiend' monster on the field; activate the targeted monster's effect.

_Panik:_

Rank-up Magic - Nitemare Force  
Quick-Play Spell Card

Effect: Target one 'Number' monster you control, Special Summon one 'Number C' monster from your Extra Deck using the targeted monster as material. (This Special Summon is treated as Xyz Summon. Any Xyz Material attached to the targeted monster also become Xyz Material to the new monster.) Then, equip this card to the summoned monster. Once per turn, if the equipped monster would detach an Xyz Material to activate its effect, you do not have to detach an Xyz Material.

Number C43: Fullshadow Lich  
DARK  
Rank 4  
Fiend/Xyz/Effect  
2300/0  
Effect: Three Level 4 Monsters  
Once per turn, you can Special Summon as many 'Phantom Token'(Fiend-type/DARK/ Level 1/500/500) as possible. (Quick Effect) : During your opponent's turn, detach one Xyz Material from this card and Special Summon as many 'Phantom Tokens' as possible. You may only activate this effect of 'Number C43: Fullshadow Lich' once per turn. This card cannot be targeted for attack or card effect while you control a 'Phantom Token'. This card cannot be destroyed by card effects while you control a 'Phantom Token'. If a 'Phantom Token' is destroyed, inflict 500 damage to your opponent, then increase this card's ATK by 500.

_Jessie:_

Gathering of the Dark Scorpions  
Quick-play Spell Card  
Effect: Activate only when you Summon 'Don Zaloog', add one of each of 'Meanae the Thorn', 'Chick the Yellow', 'Gorg the Strong' and 'Cliff the Trap Remover' from your Deck or Graveyard to your Hand. DUring your turn (except the turn this card was sent to the graveyard), you can banish this card from your graveyard, add one 'Dark Scorpion' or 'Don Zaloog' from your graveyard to your hand.

_Verthy:  
_

Destiny Diamond  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: If this card is activated, you can draw 1 card, then place this card atop your deck. (You may not add cards from your deck to your hand, including drawing, during the turn you activate this effect.) If this card is sent from the Deck to the Graveyard by the effect of 'Destiny Hero - Diamond Dude', you can activate the following effect during your next Standby Phase: Banish this card, then target one Normal Spell Card in your graveyard - this card's effect becomes the effect of the targeted Normal Spell.

_Bellerophon  
_

Satellite Launcher  
LIGHT  
2 stars  
Machine/Effect  
500/500  
Effect: This card is treated as 'Satellite Cannon' while face-up on the field or in the graveyard. If this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, you can Special Summon one 'Satellite Cannon' from your Hand or Deck. if this card is in your Graveyard, except during the turn it was sent there, you can banish this card - increase the ATK of all face-up 'Satellite Cannon' you control by 1000 until the End Phase.

Satellite Charging Station  
Continuous Spell Card  
Effect: Each time a 'Satellite Cannon' gains ATK, (except by the effect of 'Satellite Charging Station') place one 'Charge Counter' on this card for every 1000 ATK gained. (Rounded down.) (Quick Effect): You can remove any number of 'Charge Counters' from this card, then apply one of the following effects.

Increase your life points by 1000 for each counter removed

Increase the ATK of one 'Satellite Cannon' you control by 1000 for each counter removed until the End Phase.

_Pegasus:_

Toon Caste Nightdread  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: This card is treated as 'Toon World' while face-up on the field. Toon monsters you control can attack during the turn they were Summoned. You do not have to pay Life Points to attack with 'Toon Monsters'. (Quick Effect:) You can send one 'Toon Kingdom' or 'Toon World' from your Hand or Deck to the Graveyard. Until the End Phase, 'Toon' cards you control cannot be destroyed as a result of battle or card effect.


	17. Duel Madness! Destiny Unfurls!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

_A/N: __Hooray for work ethic and updating in a reasonable length of time! Hooray for realizing that your pacing is going to be awkward and you have to break everything up into more chapters to keep all palatable and oh god why did I do six duels at once!?_

_Next story, promise, duels happen one a chapter and the finale is one big awesome duel. If only for the sake of my sanity and my chapter count._

_For now, read, review and enjoy!_

Chapter 17: Duel Madness! Destiny Unfurled

"Alright, I'm turning things up a notch!" Toppa crowed as he drew his opening hand, his smirk wavering a bit as his Duel Disk beeped. Then his life points began to drop. "Aw, hells - I forgot about the Intrusion Penalty!" (TLP: 8000-4000)

"You'll forgive me if I don't bloody care!" Ryou snapped as he flung out his arm. His set card lifted, spewing out ten flickering fireballs that landed in front of Toppa and Rosemary in neat rows. "The trap Volcanic Mine summons tokens to all of your monster zones!" (1000/1000x10)

His Playdread Rite looked up from where he was scribbling, yanked an orb out of the air next to him and splashed it on the page. Strings spilled out of the dark ceiling above and coiled around the fireballs, mummifying them almost completely. "Then the effect of Playdead Rite gives each one a String Counter! And thanks to the effect of Gimmick Theatre, you cannot tribute your tokens! There is nothing you can do!"

The surrounding dolls all clattered and stamped broken feet approvingly, but Toppa just grinned. "Aight, that's the way you wanna play, I'll keep up! I activate the continuous spell card Heatza Oven!"

Steam billowed around him dramatically as the flaming demonic oven rose up behind. "Then I got a bomb to drop of my own! Specifically - Remove Bomb! This spell banishes the top five cards of my deck and then for each monster, you take three hundred damage!"

Ryou looked alarmed and Rosemary felt hope surge a bit. _He only has twelve hundred life points left - if Toppa gets four monsters, then we win!_

The rapper pulled a fan of cards off his deck and then held them up, revealing most of them had green backings. "Looks like this verse is short - only got three, but you'll still taste the heat!"

Ryou grunted as an aura flared around him, but he remained standing. "That pain is nothing." (RLP: 1200-300)

"Psh, that's only the start - next up is Foolish Burial! I send a monster from my deck to the graveyard!" He shoved his choice into the graveyard and grinned. "Now here's where I make you regret giving me fire monsters! Circle of the Fire Kings!"

The center bomb token flared and then winked out, Ryou gaping at where it had been. Toppa laughed. "My spell nukes any fire monster I got and then revives any other I want from the graveyard, so your little combo ain't stopping my beats! Come on out, Salad Toppa!"

His new monster was like the previous ones - a lanky youth in a hoodie, sneakers and jeans. But the hoodie was decorated in peppers, tomatoes, onion slices and the head of lettuce it had for a head had crouton earrings. "Check it out, yo - even 'zas need a friend whose got a little green! Ha!" (1400/1500)

Salad Toppa lifted a clenched fist to its mouth like it was holding a mic and began to beat-box, Toppa doing the same and adding a rap. "But this monsta here's a tuner! And when I synchro summon, y'all be beaten sooner! Salad Toppa toppa them charts, bro!"

The four Bomb Tokens stacked atop each other as the salad monster broke apart into synchro rings that circled around them. "I ain't had time to think of a fancy chant, but this guy's twelve hidden spices and herbs are about to spew hot all over you! Come on out, Heatza Alternative - Buffalo Wings!"

The Heatza Oven behind him clanged to life, fresh steam billowing out as the heat inside climbed up so much the metal was sweating then. Then it belched out flames and out of those flames came his monster. It was almost comical, a mish-mash of hot wings stuck together in the vague shape of something alive. But it oozed sizzling hot sauce blood and a demonic face snarled out of the front. (2500/1500)

"I almost preferred the pizzas." Rosemary said, unable to really hide her concern over it's appearance. "That is not nearly as appetizing."

"But his effect is first rate! I shuffle my banished Toppas into my deck and get some sauces on the side! I shuffle my banished Chili Pepper Toppa and Anchovy Toppa back to get Heatza Sauces!" He shuffled his deck and added his new cards, flipping one around. "And then I'll use one - Pesto! Now I can add Marinara and Alfredo to my hand, but I can't use'em - even for dipping!"

Buffalo Wings roared as seasonings appeared over its crunchy fried skin. "Oh and did I mention that Anchovy gives my wings some extra kick? No? Then get a first-hand taste - on me! Attack!" Buffalo Wings charged for Playdead Rite, mouth opening impossibly wide. (2500-3100)

Ryou grimaced as the Synchro snared his puppet in its jaws, ripping Playdead Rite out of his desk. Tossing its head back, Buffalo Wings gulped it down and slurped up the bloody puppet strings like spaghetti. "I have a trap card - Defense Draw! Your damage to me is zero and I draw one card!"

"Figures - didn't think a magical man would just let me drop the mic and walk away! But I got a surprise! The quick-play spell Double Dipping!" Toppa held up the spell, its image showing his Toppas gathered around a pot and dunking breadsticks in it. "I discard a Heatza Sauce and my monster can go for round two! Buffalo Wings, bust up that musical puppet!"

The Synchro charged again, leaping up to crash into Gimmick Puppet of Strings. But the gigantic puppet simply staggered, a discordant melody echoing as the Heatza bounced off its strings. Ryou just smiled placidly at Toppa's confused expression. "I'm sorry, but your monster is not a Number, so it cannot destroy mine in battle." (RLP: 600-300)

Toppa rubbed his finger under his nose, grinning. " s'all good - I had a back-up plan! Looks like my Wings were too spicy for your Number!"

"What-?" Ryou twisted his head to look at his monster, eyes widening. Gimmick Puppet of Strings was superheating, wisps of steam floating off it as the metal glowed red and began to sweat. It sank to one knee, hissing from the temperature. "What did you do!?"

"See, I heard you explain yo move to little Miss Mary 'fore I dropped in! So thanks to the effect Buffalo Wings gained from Chili Pepper Toppa, any monster it can't kill in a fight has its effects negated! And a tall glass of milk ain't gonna cool your Number off!" Toppa crowed and swept one of his remaining cards into his disk. "I set this card and call it a turn!" He shot Rosemary a thumbs-up. "Kick his ass!"

Rosemary just sighed in relief as the Bomb Tokens on her field winked out of sight. Ryou was just staring, tight-faced, yet eerily calm and she could not shake the feeling that this was not the tipping point for them yet. "Yes."

She drew her card and hope shone a bit brighter. "I activate the spell card Polymerization! I fuse my Allure Queen LV7 and Chocolate Magician Girl in my hand together! I fusion summon Allure Empress!" The three cards in her hand vanished as a swirling portal opened on her field.

Out of it stepped a tall woman, towering over the duelists and clad in finery. Her bustier was studded with jewels, her crown gold and silver, silken elbow gloves and a staff woven together out of delicate and shiny metals. "And when I summon this monster, I can search out an Allure card from my deck!" (1000/2500)

Her deck whirred out a card and she grabbed it, sliding it into her disk. A soft, elegant waltz began to fill the air. "It is the continuous spell card Allure Dance! And then I will use Empress' effect to equip a monster on the field to her!"

"That will not do anything - Empress can only equip monsters whose levels are equal to or lower than hers and my Number is an Xyz monster. I -" Ryou broke off as Empress held out her staff and Buffalo Wings became an orb of light that sucked into her. "Your partner's monster!"

"Hey, I don't mind, you can always order more wings!"

"The effect of Allure Dance gives all Allure Queen monsters the attack of her equipped monsters! And my Empress counts!" Rosemary smiled as her monster glowed and her score shot up. "Attack Gimmick Puppet of Strings! _Dark Flux!_" (1000-3500)

Empress slashed her staff through the air, unleashing an arc of ever-expanding star-spangled shadow stuff that soared towards Ryou's monster. Ryou watched it approach, smiling ever-so-slightly...and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Mary, but I cannot leave without you! Reverse card open! Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force!"

The card shattered as it lifted, becoming jagged blades that pierced Gimmick Puppet of Strings and left it rattling in apparent pain. Something dark oozed out of the wounds, swelling and expanding to layer itself around the Xyz Monster like bandages. They pulsed as if they were cocooning the monster in a giant shadow heart. The Dark Flux attack slammed into it and then scattered into harmlessly motes of black light. "_Life's melody is a funeral dirge and the strings that bind us our nooses! Sever them all and guide us to oblivion! Rank-Up Xyz Summon! Number C40: Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings!" _

The heart beat a few times, then began to dissolve away. Ryou's monster had been reborn, crafted out of dark metals and its wing angular and jagged. A scythe had replaced the sword it wielded and its body looked even more detached as it expanded, revealing quivering harp strings inside. Each movement generated a haunting song, one that drowned even Allure Dance. (3300/2000)

"I…" Rosemary stared up at it, then clenched her fists. "Allure Empress is still stronger! I attack! _Dark Flux!" _

Ryou just smiled again as the attack crashed into his monster, the resulting melody loud, discordant and painful on the ears. When it had faded, he spoke. "I summoned my new monster in defense mode and Allure Empress is not a Number. I'm sorry, Rosie."

"I do not care what you feel! Just leave me alone and rot in your grave by yourself!" Rosemary snapped and grabbed a card from her hand. "I set this and end my turn!"

"You heard the lady, creep. I don't know what you're on or coming off, but there's no excuse for trying to kill her!" Toppa declared, folding his arms.

"You are an intruder on these family matters, but it is not your fault you will suffer here. Rosemary should have known better than to make friends." Ryou commented as he drew, not looking at Toppa. "They always wind up paying the price for our evils. Like Bellerophon."

"You did that, you! He saved my life!" Rosemary glared at him. "I am not evil simply because I exist!"

"But your existence is killing him. If you hadn't known him, if you hadn't been so afraid of the truth, then he would not have dueled. And now he will die because of the curse he got protecting you. If he dies because of that, then are you not evil for causing the death of an innocent man?" Ryou shook his head. "Our family is nothing but tragedies. And I am going to stop us from adding to the list."

He pointed at Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings and it lifted its scythe, using it like a bow to play music on its body. "I expend one Xyz Material from my monster to place a String Counter on Allure Empress!" Strings flew out of the ceiling and coiled around the regal monster, tangling her up and leaving her struggling. "Then I use the next effect - I destroy one monster with a String Counter and deal you damage equal to its original attack score!"

"Aw hell naw! I got a trap!" Toppa pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "It's Healing Flames! I banish a fire monster from my hand and then gain life points equal to its attack! Up to one grand! And Mushroom Toppa's got four hundred points!

Green flames sprang up around Rosemary as Allure Empress was slashed in half vertically by Dark String's scythe. Then the monster's weapon cut across her chest, scattering the flames and dropping her to her knees. BUt her life points didn't hit zero. (RMLP: 900-1300-1000)

"How fortunate. You see, Rosemary…" Ryou's words drew her out of her pain-filled haze to look up at him. "He helped you. And now, because he did, he'll die. Not accomplishing anything but prolonging your misery."

"Bring it on, scarecrow!" Toppa barked, jabbing a finger in Ryou's direction. "You think your bad music and cheap props can take on a homie like me? You're straight lyin'!"

The rapper held up his Duel Disk and flames licked out of the graveyard. "Since I banished Mushroom Toppa, I can summon another Toppa from the graveyard, so Salad Toppa returns in defense mode!" The flames erupted and transformed into his monster again. "And get this - Salad Toppa brings back another member of the crew that's banished! And I got another Chili Pepper out in the great beyond!"

A new monster showed up, hoodie and jeans and chains, but his head was a chili paper and he had rings on his hands that spelled out 'SPICY!' on one hand and 'AS FCK!' on the other. (900/1400)

"Merely obstacles. As Dark Strings destroyed a monster, I can draw one card." Ryou did so and slid it into his disk. A howling wind erupted around him and shattered the green swords caging his field. "Mystical Space Typhoon destroys the Swords of Revealing Light. Then I switch Dark Strings to attack mode."

His monster stood up taller, wing spreading out behind it. "Now I equip my monster with Dark Strings. When it attacks, I reveal the top card of my deck. And if it is a Gimmick Puppet, my monster can attack an equal number of times to that monster's level."

"Say what!" Toppa's eyes widened as Ryou held up the next card of his deck and saw a monster card. "Aww, shit…"

"Gimmick Puppet Terror Baby has four stars, so I have four attacks. Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings - attack! _Heaven's Reaping!" _The Number just had to take one step forwards and then it was in reach. The scythe flashed twice and Toppa's monsters were falling to bloody chunks on the floor. Then it flashed twice more and the rapper was crashing to the floor. Eyes wide and a neat, bloody 'X' across his hoodie. (TLP: 4000-700-0)

"Toppa!" Rosemary stared in horror as the rapper didn't move. Just lay there. She couldn't even tell if he was breathing. "No!"

"The helplessness must burn, Rosemary. Knowing all you can do is scream. You cannot stop it, you cannot change it. You can't be anything, except a blood-soaked pawn in fate's whims." Ryou slid a card from his hand into his disk. "I set this. And end my turn."

He closed his eyes and seemed to be looking inside himself. Or perhaps falling further into the pit of despair he was at the moment. When he opened them, those eyes were lifeless and cold, the wetness in them at odds with the smile underneath. "Please Rosemary...just surrender. Don't fight anymore. Be stronger than me. Just...end this all…"

Rosemary stared down at her deck, unable to stare into the face across the way. Or the monster that had just killed someone who had come to help her. _I can't beat him. I know he's wrong, that I'm not a monster! But...that doesn't mean I'm strong enough to win…_

The cold cloak of depression was something the supermodel never took off. It was weighty and damp and clung to her like it was alive. She ignored it, covered it up with swimsuits and dresses and make-up and her smiles lied about how heavy it was. But now, here in the dark, surrounded by the faceless dolls of hundreds who had come before her, who had suffered like she had, it was all she had to her name.

Her head hurt. Her limbs were like lead. And she was so tired. The darkness around them was drawing closer, though whether to wrap her up so it could hide her away or just to simply keep her from the rest of the world, she wasn't sure. A distant part of her told her this was just the magic, the Shadow Game, that it was amplifying all her negative feelings and if she could just hang to the good memories, to her friends, to the future she wanted, she could pull through.

_What good memories? Of a woman who gave birth to me just so I can be her cash cow? Of people wanting my body, of accusing me of being fake? Of having nothing that is mine? And my friends? They all have lives of their own. I'm just the accessory, not a necessity. The future...I don't have one._

The spirit behind her was still and quiet. Perhaps it was dead from Ryou's earlier attack on. Maybe it knew it was useless at the moment. Maybe it was waiting for a command.

_Or maybe it knows I'm not worthy…_

An echo of something floated into her mind. A yell? No...it was a roar...but it was far away...perhaps not even real…

Except...why was Ryou looking up at the ceiling with sudden nervousness?

The roar echoed, louder this time and Rosemary felt the room shake. The doll audience clattered in a panic as bits of the ceiling tumbled down. _We must still be in the castle. Holograms don't break like this. _

The roar happened again and Ryou flinched and as he did, Rosemary suddenly realized where she had heard the sound before. It belonged to Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon. _Lero…_

He was still fighting, then. Dueling to save his life and his father's company and his game and everything else. Knowing he would just make his curse worse, that it could kill him…

…So how could she do any less?

"I draw." Rosemary pulled the card free, staring at it and pieces fell into place. She knew what she had to do. "I activate Magicalized Fusion!" Cards fell out of her graveyard and she held them up, revealing Berry, Lemon, Apple, Chocolate and Kiwi Magician Girls. "I can fuse monsters from my graveyard! So I banish my five Magician Girls together to summon Quintet Magician!"

Light exploded out of the ground in front of her, resolving into a towering, blue-skinned magician covered in stylized, angular armor of purples and blues. "And this monster is worth the five I used to summon it - because all of its component monsters had differing names, it can destroy every card on your field! _Great Spell Overlock!" _(4500/4500)

Ryou watched as the magician raised his staff, energy collecting there dangerously fast. "I activate my trap card - Captive Audience!" The trap lifted up, its picture showing several Duel Monsters tied to their seats and watching the Gimmick Puppets perform. "When you summon a monster, this continuous trap lets me banish a Gimmick Puppet from the graveyard to place a String Counter on it! I banish Playdead Rite!"

He pocketed the card and strings flew out of the darkness, entangling Quintet Magician and snuffing out his staff's light. "And because Gimmick Theater is still in play, his effect is useless!"

"I am not done! A second spell card! Allure Return!" Rosemary pointed and a portal opened on the ground next to her fusion, letting Allure Empress rise up out of it. "This card revives an Allure Queen and equips to it!"

"The effect of Captive Audience! I banish Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll!" Ryou caught the card out of his graveyard and watched as stings entangled the Empress. "That move did not help you, either."

"We'll see! The effect of Allure Dance!" Rosemary smiled as the continuous spell card began to glow, the music picking up again. "Since Allure Return counts as a monster equipped to Allure Queen, I can use Allure Dance to send it to the graveyard and review the other Queens in my graveyard! Allure Queen LV5! Allure Queen LV7!"

In two flashes of light, the younger versions of Empress appeared. Ryou just pointed at his trap card and two monsters slid out of his graveyard. "My trap will work as long as I have monsters in my graveyard! I banish Dreary Doll and Terror Baby!" Strings snared up the Queens tightly, suspending them above the floor despite their protestant squawks.

Rosemary nodded in acceptance, but then glanced at one of the remaining cards in her hand. "Uncle...do you know why I persist in believing that I am not cursed by birth to be evil?"

"You can believe that all you wish, but proof is in your blood, your very soul." Ryou pointed at the invisible shape behind. "How else would the monster of your very being be anything but Diabound?"

"That is just it. My spirit is not Diabound. And I know this because I was not born with it." Rosemary watched his eyes widen as she slid her next card into her disk and a large stone tablet rose up behind her. It was broad, bigger than she was by several times and taller, too. "I acquired this monster."

"That's...that tablet…" Ryou stared numbly at it, at the images of a monster carved into its surface. So big it nearly took up all the stone and so twisted around itself he could not tell where one end was and the other began. "What is…"

"I activate the spell card Tablet of Forbidden Memories! I select all monsters of one type on my field and then declare a level - they all become that level!" Level stars appeared above all four of her monsters and all of them switched to eight. "I pick level eight! And then with my four level eight monsters, I open the Overlay Network!"

Her monsters did not fold together or vanish into a portal - they were simply broken down into energy and pulled into the stone slab as she began to speak. Ryou stared, trembling at the words coming out of her mouth. _She's speaking Hieratic..that's the language Ra's effects were written in...how...how...did she…?_

On the stone slab, the image was gaining things. Definition. Depth. Dimension. Colors in the forms of silken silvers, velvet purples, royal blues and seductive golds. Cracks spread across the stone itself and then the monster flexed, shattering it and pulling itself free of the remains. It was a woman, beautiful and terrifying atop a snake body with wings. Her scales were smooth and satiny, almost like skin. Or perhaps her skin was smooth and strong like scales. The colors swept over her body in tantalizing ways and every moment was luxuriously seductive and hypnotic as it coiled around Rosemary in an embrace that was both protective and erotic. The British woman herself looked relaxed at the monster's presence. "I Xyz summon the rank eight Diabound Allure." (0/0)

For the first time since the duel had started, Ryou looked thrown. His degraded appearance made his confusion and fear all the more apparent as the placid waters of his emotions began to ripple. "I...I activate the effect of Captive Audience!"

A card fell out of his graveyard and strings looped around Diabound Allure. But the monster merely rippled her body, flexing a clawed hand and the strings fell away, severed and useless. Rosemary shook her head. "Diabound Allure has at least two materials, so you cannot negate her effects."

She lifted a hand and Diabound Allure reared up behind her, wings flaring out to lift her up. "I expend one Xyz Material and use Diabound Allure's effect! I equip her with a monster from either of our graveyards! _Spirit Seduction!" _

Ryou gawked as a Duel Monsters card appeared in the air above the Xyz monster. "That's Gimmick Puppet of Strings!" The card was shredded as Diabound slashed though it with her claws, the pieces being pulled into her body. Said body gained a metallic sheen over it, while the Gimmick Puppet's sword appeared in her hands.

"When equipped with a monster, Diabound Allure can use its effects as her own! _Strings of Heaven!" _Rosemary watched as thick strings snared up Gimmick Puppet of Dark Strings tightly, forcing its pieces to lock back together with sharp grinding noises. "Now that your monster has a String Counter, it cannot attack or activate its effect. I end my turn."

"I...I draw…" Ryou drew, staring at the card blankly. _My Nitemare Force card equipped to Dark Strings, meaning I can use its effect without a material...but I can't activate that effect...I can't attack...I have no more monsters in my hand…_

His hand dropped to the floor as he clutched at his shaking head. "No no no no no no no no…! This can't be - I can't let it end like this! I have to save you, Rosemary! I have to stop the evil from spreading!"

He dropped to his knees, shaking, sobbing, slamming clenched fists into the floor. "Please, Rosemary! Don't let it be this way! Don't let us be monsters anymore! It has to end with you!"

Rosemary just watched, his sobs becoming incoherent noises of a sad, broken man. Eventually, he stopped, sitting back and hugging his knees. Then, at least, she spoke. "Uncle."

He looked up at her, eyes still cold and lifeless under that unabashed, frozen sleet hair. Maybe he thought she was going to agree with him. Or offer him mercy. But Rosemary's eyes held neither, having become nothing but twin black pits that lead only into further darkness. "Rosie…"

"You haven't made a move in one and a half minutes. Your turn is over. And now...Diabound Allure destroys Dark Strings. _Melody of Mayhem!" _ Rosemary watched as her monster slashed through the machine puppet in one stroke. The snapping of its harp strings were loud and echoing in the silence that followed as it toppled, falling apart into pieces as it did. "You lose."

"You...you're a monster…" Ryou barked it with the kind of sad grief one only got from betrayal. "Look at you! Look at what you are! Evil uses, abuses us and makes us suffer! But you're worse than that! You want the power! You're terrible! You're worse than _he_ ever was, than anything he made me do! How could you!?"

"I will tell you the same thing you told me ten years ago when you tried to strangle your eleven-year-old niece." Rosemary didn't blink, didn't break his gaze even as Diabound Allure coiled around him, blade raised high. "Look in the mirror - the monster lives there."

Then the blade came down.

(RLP: 0)

She watched as Allure faded away, as did the remains of Dark Strings. To her not unexpected surprise, Ryou's body was also dissolving away. Ryou Bakura was dead. Had been dead for a decade. Whatever this thing had been, it wasn't her uncle. Just a bad memory, a nightmare, nothing like the real Ryou had been.

Her body ached at memories of how the real Ryou had been so much more painful.

The thought of injuries prompted her to sprint over to Toppa. There was no blood and she let out a sigh of relief as she rolled him over. The wounds were gone - more than likely, they were just the Darkness Game's way of indicating his defeat rather than taking his actual life. She hoped.

The theatre they had been in was gone as well, leaving them in what she realized was one of Pegasus' castle's sitting rooms. And there was a wall intercom next to the door. After checking Toppa's pulse to make sure he was alive, she sprinted for it and pushed the button, hoping there'd be someone to answer.

TTTTTTT

"_Please - didn't you hear what I just said? This is the kind of challenge any real professional would want any day of the week!" Crypt drew his opening hand, his blue-tinted smile garish and wide, stretching his cheeks so much it looked like his lanky body was topped with an actual skull. "So let's see if being dead did anything but improve your mouth, Panik!" _

He glanced down at his Duel Disk as it beeped and flashed 'Intrusion Penalty' at him. Then his life points began to plummet. "Tch...this thing for real?" (CLP: 8000-4000)

"What's the matter? Your courage vanish with your life points?" Panik boomed a laugh.

"Please - all this does is just give you a handicap!" Crypt sneered.

"If you think I need one, then let me demonstrate the power of my Number! _Shadows of Death!_" Panik spread his hands as Fullshadow Lich rippled, its shadow splitting off into identical copies of the original that filled his field. "My Nitemare Force card is equipped to my Lich, meaning I can use its effect to summon tokens on your turn without wasting any materials!" (500x4)

"So it's a shooting gallery - how thoughtful!" Crypt grabbed a spell card from his hand. "I activate Quick Summon, which means I summon a monster from my hand! Witch of the Black Forest!" A woman in dark robes and with three eyes appeared, sitting in a meditative position. "But she's not staying around for long - I sacrifice her for a Summoned Skull!"

Lightning split down from the sky, striking Witch of the Black Forest and incinterating her. Out of the crackling remains rose a bone-and-muscle demon. Lightning was already arcing over its talons. (2500/1200)

"Witch's effect lets me search for a monster with less than fifteen hundred defense points, but that's for later!" Crypt caught the card his deck spat out and held up another one. "I activate Archfiend's Curse! Since I have an Archfiend in play, your little lich no longer has an effect!"

"No - my monster!" Panik stared in fear as his lich grayed out, sagging towards the ground and looking weaker.

"Don't worry, I'm about to put him out of his misery! Along with the rest of his pals!" Crypt slammed acard into his disk. "It's the spell card Forbidden Mists Makiu! All monsters you have with less defense than my Skull's current attack are destroyed!"

The mists surrounding them thickened and flooded Panik's field, shrouding his monsters from view. Summoned Skull growled and thrust out both hands, lightning sparking from them. It danced through the mist erratically, lighting up the spasming, pain-stricken forms of Panik's liches. Then it stopped and with a singular shattering noise, a could of pixels burst out of the mist. "My monsters!"

"That's not all! Since I just destroyed three or more monsters, the attack points of all my Summoned Skulls doubles!" Crypt smirked as Summoned Skull surged with new power, the lighting around it violent and nasty. (2500-5000) "Direct attack! _Demon Thunder!_"

The lighting seared through the air towards Panik, filling the forest with the stench of ozone. Then it slammed into something directly in front of him, a loud clanging noises just briefly audible above the roar of the attack. "When I'm attacked directly, I can summon Battle Fader from my hand and negate the attack along with ending the Battle Phase!"

"Tch, fine…" Crypt looked at the new monster, an odd mix of bat and bell floating in front of the other duelist. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Panik snapped up the card, a broad grin spreading on his broad face. "Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we hold six cards!" Ripping the new ones free, he slammed one into his disk. "Nitemare Revive! I summon a Number from my graveyard, then give one monster on my field to it as an Overlay Unit! Return, Fullshadow!"

Darkness rippled out of the ground, snaring the Battle Fader and using it as an anchor to pull itself up. The lich ate the other monster in its shroud, consuming everything about it as it returned to solidity. "And now I use its effect! _Shadows of Death!" _Four copies of it appeared once again. (2300) (500x4)

"Guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Crypt grunted, his Summoned Skull rumbling an agreement as lightning sparked around it.

"You'll regret those words! I equip my Lich with Sacred Sword Thanatos!" A spectral sword, its edges blurry and indistinct, appeared in the lich's hands. "This not only raises its attack points by three hundred, but destroys all tokens instantly! And gives their attack to him as well! And Fullshadow's own effect means not only does he gain five hundred attack for each destroyed token, five hundred damage is dealt to little Mouto as well!" Panik laughed as the four tokens all blew apart, the pieces sinking into the spectral sword. "This is the end!" (2300-2600-4600-6000)

"Kaede!" Crypt clenched his fist and looked down at his two set cards. _My traps can't stop effect damage!_

"Reverse card open-" Kaede was on her knees, glaring from under her bangs as the card lifted. "Regeneration Cure! I negate one instance of damage to my life points and summon one Helixx Token instead!" A demonic looking creature vaguely resembling a DNA Helix appeared in front of, the attack from Fullshadow fading out before it could reach her.

She rose to her feet fully, giving Crypt a look. "Don't go yelling my name like that - you really think I'd be put down so easily?"

"I'll take that as 'thank you'." Crypt fired back, but they were both smirking.

"Don't take me lightly! My Fullshadow Lich has over six thousand attack points and they're coming right for you, little Mouto! I'll take you down if it's the last thing I do! _Sword of Death Endless!" _Fullshadow cackled again and surged forwards in a whirl of its phantasmal cloak, blade drawn back to skewer Kaede's heart.

It instead caught a little puffball with big eyes, the blade piercing through it's body and halting an inch before Kaede's nose. Then the puffball exploded, Kaede no worse for the wear even as the lich went flying back to Panik's field. "Where did that weak monster come from?!"

"My hand." Crypt snickered when Panik glared at him. "I discarded Kuriboh to negate the battle damage."

Panik growled low in his throat and grabbed another card from his hand. "Offerings to the Doomed! Your Skull is destroyed!" Light lanced out of the card and punched through Summoned Skull, shattering him easily.

"I'll activate Soul Rope. I pay one thousand life points and summon Versago the Destroyer from my deck." Crypt grunted as the trap flipped up and sapped him of his strength. But the odd, leggless demon appeared curled up in front of him. (CLP: 3000) (1100/600)

"A weak defense in the face of my Number!" Panik growled. " I set two cards face-down and end my turn. And it'll be you last, little Mouto."

"We'll see about that - during the End Phase, I use the Marmot's effect in my graveyard and destroy my token to summon it! That gives my field spell another counter!" Her token blew apart, her snarling, hissing winged marmot taking its place as another brazier lit up behind her. "Then I draw-"

"I activate Fullshadow's effect by expending its Xyz Material! _Shadows of Death!" _Panik sneered as four copies of his lich appeared and then promptly exploded. "And thanks to Sacred Sword Thanatos, they are destroyed and you take damage! Now die!" (6600-8600)

The lich slashed the sword through the air, unleashing a shockwave of power right for the redhead. Kaede slammed a card into her graveyard and dozens of Kuribohs appeared in front of her. They exploded on contact with the blast, but kept it from reaching her. "Would you look at that - Kuribohs work on monster effect damage as well as attacks!"

"You little…" Panik snarled and slammed a fist into a nearby tree, sending the hanging corpses swaying.

"You're talking again, but I don't hear anything useful coming out of you, so I'll just continue my turn!" Kaede slapped down a card and a bone-and-flesh demon appeared, its armor fused into the exposed muscle tissue. "I summon another Archfiend Horrorpawn and then use its effect to roll a die to change its level! And my Imperial Pandemonium field spell lets me expend a counter to make that roll a four!"

Flames leapt from the brazier into the Horrorpawn's hand, becoming a die that had four on all sides. The fiend rolled it and the level stars above him double from two to four. "_The dead become a storm of fury, their howls of vengeance thunder and lightning! That endless torment becomes your endless strength! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Archfiend Skull Fulminaster!" _

Her two monsters exploded, lightning lancing out of the sky to scorch the stone of Imperial Pandemonium. The strikes lingered there, stacking atop one another until they were so massive they began to take living shape. It looked like Crypt's Summoned SKull, but bigger with muscles bulging with electricity, the bones scorched black and electrodes bolted in place of wings as it bled sparks. (3000/1700)

"Damn….didn't think Skull Archfiend of Lightning got an upgrade." Crypt said approvingly. "Got a spare?"

"No." Kaede said with a huff and snapped a hand out to point at her monster. "I activate Fulminaster's effect! I roll a die and the result gives me an effect! But Imperial Pandemonium will give me the result I want, so I pick two! Your monster dies! And this effect isn't targeted!"

Lightning arced over her Synchro, briefly becoming a two above the monster's head before he swung his heavy arms to launch twin arcs. They skipped along the ground towards Fullshadow, but Panik was already slamming a finger on his disk. "I activate Shade of Strings! Now my monster cannot die to card effects!"

The lighting pierced through Fullshadow's immaterial body harmlessly, the lich laughing in mockery at the attempt. Kaede grit her teeth. "One card face-down. End turn!"

"My move again." Crypt drew. "I activate Polymerization, fusing the Versago on my field with the Summoned Skull in my hand to summon my favorite monster! The mighty Black Skull Dragon!" Versago erupted with power, becoming larger and draconic with hardened magma-skin, bone armor and broad wings. (3200)

"Your monster may be mighty, but mighty is nothing compared to my lich!" Panik barked in amusement. "He has nearly three times his attack points!"

"That doesn't intimidate me in the least." Crypt grabbed a pair of cards from his hand. "I activate two copies of the equip spell card Identity Theft! By banishing two Summoned Skulls from my graveyard, I can make two monsters on the field become Summoned Skull!"

"What good will that do?" Panik mocked, but his gaze widened when his Lich began to glow, a phantasmal image of Summoned Skull overlain with his monster. "You equipped it to my monster!"

"Yep, so now it and my Black Skull Dragon are both Summoned Skull! Which means my last equip card Delta Strike is going to do wonders!" Crypt smiled as Black Skull Dragon roared with fresh energy. "Here's how it works - when my Dragon attacks, it gains the attack points of any and all monsters on the field that share its name!"

"And you changed my monster's name-! No!"

"Oh yes! Black Skull Dragon attack! _Meteor Flare!" _The fusion monster reared up, spewing a barrage of magma fireballs at the opposing monster. "Your own strength works against you!" (3200-13800)

"It doesn't matter!" Panik's set card lifted as the attacks slammed into his monster. The heat and force of the resulting explosions sent both duelist and lich staggering, but they remained standing. "The trap Impenetrable Attack prevents me or my lich from taking damage this turn! And since your dragon is not a Number monster, you cannot destroy it!"

"Dammit." Crypt glared at the lich, but folded his arms. "Don't look so cocky - thanks to Delta Strike, my Dragon is the only 'Summoned Skull' that can attack, so all of those attack points are useless to you!"

"Bastard-" Panik snapped and glanced at his remaining cards. _No monsters...and I cannot draw a new one because of Offerings to the Doomed! _He had Monster Reborn in his hand, but none of the cards in his graveyard were anywhere near strong enough to do anything. And nothing in the other's duelists graveyards could beat Skull Archfiend Fulminaster or Black Skull Dragon in a fight. _Wait - there is one that can defeat them!_

He laughed and held up the spell card. "I activate Monster Reborn! Rise up from the fires of hell and become my servant! Hot Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"Oh no!" Crypt's eyes widened as fire erupted behind the burly man, resolving into the roaring form of Kaede's dragon.

"Your monsters will die to the power of your dragon and then you'll die to its claws! I could not have asked for a greater way to inflict a painful death to you, little Mouto!" Panik bared his teeth in a nightmarish smile. "Nothing you do can save you now! Nothing!"

Kaede just stared at him, smirking calmly. "Now you've done it."

"Done what?!" Panik snapped. _That look on her face! It's just like her father's when...when…! _An image of his Castle of Dark Illusions crashing down on his helpless monsters flashed through his mind and a sick feeling of dread rose up in him. _No, it can't be!"_

"Hot Red Dragon Archfiend isn't an ordinary monster, just like your Number. You could say it's even alive." Kaede chuckled as a shadow fell over Panik. "And you just summoned it to your field with the monster that killed it."

"Are you saying that dragon is going to want revenge!?" Panik demanded and then twisted to look up...and up...and up. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend was looming over him, its bulk filling up his entire line of sight. And flames were leaking from its jaws. "But...no...how!?"

"Same reason as last time, Panik. You messed with someone beyond your control and who isn't afraid of you." Kaede said as her dragon sucked in a breath. "Now go back to hell and stay there this time!"

Panik's scream was drowned out by Hot Red's roar and the bellow of its flames. They swallowed him up, surrounding trees ignited, then the bodies in them and the flames spread even more quickly as if they were eager to eat up all the bodies. Fullshadow Lich charged for Kaede, sword raised to slash at her, but wasn't nearly fast enough to escape the flames. The blaze evaporated it into wisps.

"Damn…" Crypt took a few safe steps back, watching as Panik's body broke apart in the flames and melted. "What was he? Some kind of homunculus? Or zombie?"

Kaede gave him a raised eyebrow. "You've encountered those things before?"

"You see a lot of crazy things in the Underground." Crypt said by way of explanation. The duel faded away, as did the flames and then the charred remnants of the forest. All that was left in front of them was a large double bed and some end tables. "He fit that entire forest inside a bedroom? Where even are we?"

"At least we're still inside the castle." Kaede stepped forwards, picking up the Number 43: Shadow Lich card off the bedspread. "And I got a new trick…"

"Save it for later - we need to get back in touch with Sumire so she can get us all out of here." Crypt jerked a thumb out the door. The castle's hallway was still inverted and twisted around itself. "Hope you don't get dizzy easily."

TTTTTTT

_Jessie watched the blast fire, a wave of energy that shrank to a pencil-thin beam that would hit like a tank. And hoped she had enough luck to make this move work. "Reverse card open!"_

The trap card flipped up, its picture showing Neo-Spacian Glow Moss playing a Slot Machine Duel Monster that had lined up three Blue-Eyes. "Signal Slots! This card equips your monster! Whenever that monster attacks me, I draw one card and depending on the card I draw, an effect activates!"

She snapped up the card and flipped it around, revealing a monster card. "I drew a monster! Now your attack is negated…" The beam froze in mid-air, hanging in the dark ceiling above like a star. "But then you attack again!"

"What the frig!?" Keith balked as the attack launched forwards again. "What good does that do you? Your blonde in a bottle must have soaked into your brain!"

"I'm all-natural, thank you! And what it does is that it triggers Signal Slots again!" Jessie drew a second time. "Another monster!"

The attack froze for a few seconds, then started forwards again. Keith just ground his teeth in frustration. "Quit wasting time and just take it like a duelist!"

"Hush up! Signal Slots triggers again! I draw!" Jessie drew a third card and held it up. "A spell card! Now your attack is negated again and this time it stays that way!"

Her trap exploded. "There's a catch, though. If I draw three or more cards with Signal Slots, it's destroyed. "

"Lucky you." Keith grunted and shoved cards into his disk. "I set two cards and end my turn! Next turn, Dyson Sphere's gonna wreck you!" He growled as Jessie began to snicker at him. "What's so funny?"

"You, dumbass! You forgot to make a bet this round! And you didn't inflict any damage besides, which means -" Jessie watched as Keith howled as fresh wounds up opened over him and his stack of washers and nuts was suddenly cut in half. "Christ - the house does not play favorites here!"

"Just...just...shaddup!" Keith said as he glowered. Despite his bravado from the massive damage she'd given him last turn, he looked pale and haggard all of a sudden. His clothes were becoming baggy on him, like his was literally losing everything inside him every time he lost a bet. "Take your damn turn!"

"Fine by me!" Jessie drew and shoved a pile of chips forwards. "I bet you'll take four hundred damage this round!"

That done, she began chewing on her lip in thought. _Dyson Sphere's nasty. I can't kill it in a straight fight, but it's still not immune to other card effects. And I need to deal damage or I'm going to risk passing out from blood loss or worse! _

Coins clinked at her feet as she adjusted her stance and she grinned as she realized where she was standing. "My Scorpion's Nest gained counters each time my Scorpions activated their effects! So now I remove four of the five I have to summon two Dark Scorpions from the graveyard! Meanae! Chick! Front and center!"

The two thieves flipped dramatically out from behind piles of treasure, striking a back-to-back pose with weapons at the ready. "And now I-"

"You do nothing, brat! Reverse card open! Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force! This turns my Dyson Sphere into a Chaos Number!" Keith laughed as on the window, Dyson Sphere began to unfold and transform, the dull gray metals of its body expanding and shifting to reveal high-tech lights and designs underneath. "_Star the covers whole of creation, rain infinite power on the heavens and scorch hell from existence! Eradicate it all and then destroy even the dust! Rank 10! Number C9: Chaos Dyson Sphere!" _(3600/3200)

"You know, Keith, when a man takes his giant, planet-busting space station and makes it even bigger with even more guns on it, a girl could start to wonder what he's compensating for!" Jessie gawked at the size of the monster now, her two Dark Scorpions giving it flat out jaw-drops.

"It's called 'strategy'! I ain't relying on raw power like before and I know my Dyson Sphere's weakness! So that's why I have this - Staunch Defender! Now your little scorpions have to try and sting my Dyson Sphere and not me!" He snickered cruelly. "Go on, Wheeler, throw the last of your life points away like a brave duelist!"

"How about I kick your ass like an awesome one? I have the quick-play spell Dark Scorpion - Double Bluff! Now when my Scorpions hit your monster, they don't die, I take no damage and your monster is poisoned! Even if it is a machine!" Jessie watched as her two monsters looked up at the infinite blackness above them...and then glanced down at their whip and mallet respectively. "Oh, just attack the screen! I know you can't reach it from down here!"

Meanae nodded and cracked her whip at the screen, but Keith's third set card was already lifting. "Gotcha, brat! The continuous trap Safe Zone! It equips to Chaos Dyson Sphere and keeps card effects form so much as scratching the paint job!"

Jessie growled in frustration as Meanae's whip passed through the screen harmlessly, then Chick's mallet did the same. "You can't protect that thing forever, Keith! And my Scorpions are going to send it right back to the -" She was cut off as two beams of light show down and surrounded her monsters. The Dark Scorpions flailed in sudden panic as they were lifted skywards. "What the hell!? This isn't Close Encounters of the Third Kind! You can't abduct my monsters!"

"Sure I can! Chaos Dyson Sphere's a straight upgrade on the original! Instead of negating attacks, any monsters that attacks it become one of its Xyz Materials!" Keith watched as Jessie's monsters were pulled up into space and into the depths of his Dyson Sphere, never to be seen again. "No way I'm letting you pull a cheap trick on me again!"

He chuckled as there was a rumble from behind Jessie. "Oop - looks like Jizukiru wants to give it a shot! How about it?"

"Wait -no!" Jessie grimaced as the kaiju unleashed energy up into the sky that splashed harmlessly off Dyson Sphere' shields. The backlash came arcing back down and slammed into her hard enough to shove her to a knee. Smoke wisped off the hit and she squinted against the pain to see Jizukiru sucked up inside Dyson Sphere. (JLP: 3200-2900)

"Aww, too bad, so sad!" Keith mocked. "Looks like you aren't gonna get that four hundred damage you wanted! Unless you want to try your luck again?"

"Would if I could, just to knock some smug off that face…" Jessie muttered under her breath. "I set one card face-down and one monster in defense mode!" The brown-backed cards appeared in front of her. "End turn!"

The last syllable of the word became a scream of pain as a wound opened on her leg and she slapped it, wincing as she felt stickiness here. _Don't fall over - don't fall over - !  
_

"My move and I think...I'll bet I'll deal twenty-nine hundred damage!" Keith shoveled nearly all of his remaining chips forwards, watching with unhidden smugness as Jessiebelle's eyes widened. "I know what you're thinking - has he gone nuts?"

"I don't think it, Keith - I know it!"

"Well, you know wrong, brat." Keith sniggered. "See, I bet you think you're safe because Safe Zone is still on my Chaos Dyson Sphere and that means Dyson Sphere can't attack you directly. Thing is, when I ranked it up, _everything_ got an upgrade! Including its ability to hurt you!"

He lifted a finger into the sky. "Once per turn, Chaos Dyson Sphere can deal you three hundred damage for each Xyz Material it has! And I count six! So suck it, Wheeler! _Brilliant Barrage!" _

Chaos Dyson Sphere's turrets angled towards the Earth, firing six sharp blasts that slammed into Jessie's vitals at the same time. She screamed as they threw her off her feet, skidding across the shop's metal floor to crash against a robot playing the slots. (JLP: 2900 -1100)

"Just stay down and brace for impact, blondie! My monster's second ability! I can remove Xyz Material to deal you eight hundred damage for each one! _Brilliant Salvo!" _Keith grinned, the new round of attacks - broad, heavy lasers blasts - reflected in his sunglasses as they screamed towards his prone opponent.

Then something leapt up into the air on an intercept course. It was a pale purple Kuriboh and it popped open like a Russian nesting doll, allowing seven more versions of itself to jump free. They all caught one of the shots and exploded, briefly filling the casino's dark roof with miniature suns. "Son of a bitch! No!"

"Clear Kuriboh. I can ditch it...and I take no damage from an effect…" Jessie croaked out as she climbed back to her feet. "So ha-ha, Keith - just like every date you had, you blew your load early!"

"You Wheelers only _think _you're funny, when you're just funny-looking!" Keith was furious, nearly ripping the next card he wanted to play in half as he crammed it into his disk. "I set this face-down and end my turn!"

Wounds burst open on his body as his failed bet, but all it succeeded in doing was staining his clothing red and leaving him heaving for breath, snorting angrily. "Come and draw already! Hurry up! I need to waste your ass and be done with this bullcrap!"

"Don't rush me…!" Jessie drew slowly, trying to ignore how much she was in. _This is bad...this is so bad. I can't hurt him with my monsters, his Dyson Sphere will take them if I try to fight and I bet anything he's got a way to give his monster more Xyz Material so he can blast me!_

She was also conscious of the fact she needed to make a bet this round or she was going to hurt again. _But nothing I have can inflict damage! I can bet zero, but it takes a chunk out of me! How can I beat him when I can't hurt him?_

Something occurred to her and she glanced down at her set monster. _Beat him...without hurting him…_ "I flip summon my set monster - Dark Scorpion Burglars!" Unlike her previous monsters, this one was all five of them grouped together. But they looked younger, more teengerish and cocky. (1000/1000)

"What? You gonna attack me directly?" Keith rolled his eyes. _Go ahead and try it! My set card is Direct Material Converter! If you hit me directly, this card negates the attack and makes your monster an Xyz Material for my Dyson Sphere!_

"No, I'm going to give you them! I activate Shien's Spy!" Jessie watched as her monster vanished, reappearing on Keith's side of the field. "Now you have my monster for the turn!"

"And why do that? You trying to kill me by attacking it instead of Dyson Sphere? You don't have nearly a big enough monster to wipe me out in one hit!"

"I don't need to! I activate the Garden of the Darkest Rose! For every field spell I have in play or in the graveyard, I summon one Rose Token! I have three in the graveyard and one in play, so I get four!" Jessie watched as four flowers erupted on her playing field, reaching in height up to her waist before blooming into dark red roses. "The only catch is I can't use these tokens for tributes and they can't hurt you!" (800/800x4)

"So what? You gonna pluck'em and give me an apology bouquet?" Keith sneered.

"They're going to attack my Dark Scorpion Burglars!" Three of the rose tokens sprouted thorns and fired them. They bounced off the collective Dark Scorpions, who promptly responded with a mallet smash, whiplash and knife attack that beheaded all three roses and shattered them. Jessie cried out as the backlash hit and dropped her to her knees. (JLP: 1100-500)

Keith stared at her in confusion, then anger as she began to smile. "What's so funny, Wheeler? You finally lost your marbles along with your blood?"

"'Snot that...just...see, my Dark Scorpion Burglars have an effect. Each time they deal damage, the opposing player has to get rid of a spell card from their deck." Jessie said with a shaky smirk. "And since I'm the opposing player...I have to get rid of three spell cards."

She held them up, revealing they were all identical. "They're called Jackpot 7. And when they go to the graveyard thanks to my opponent, I have to banish them."

Keith growled. "Make sense and tell me why you think that's worth laughing about! You're dead once you end your turn!" He broke off as the casino around them became louder, alarms, flashing lights, cheers and lots of metal raining down on metal. The slot machines behind him all began to read three sevens and washers were spewing out of them at an insane rate. They already had swallowed up a chunk of the floor and the pile was growing. "What's...what's going on!?"

"I hit the Jackpot, Keith. When three Jackpot 7 are banished….I win the duel." Jessie smirked as her Duel Disk flashed 'INSTANT WIN! INSTANT WIN!' over and over.

Keith's eyes widened in horror. "No! You can't! There's no way you got that lucky! What kind of cheap-ass trick is that!?"

"Honestly, I put them in because I wanted the best chance of winning a duel for Lero during the Bride Tournament. Didn't have time to take them out. But I guess...that was just my luck." Jessie stepped backwards as Keith lunged for her, but he fell on his face. His boots were already covered by the ever-increasing pile of washers and nuts from the simultaneous jackpots.

Part of Jessie wanted to turn away as she comprehended what being smothered by a tidal wave of hot heavy metal would feel like. But the rest of her was resilient, and she just watched as every machine in the room went berserk and began spitting its innards at the former intercontinental champion. _He lost to Dad. He lost to Uncle Yugi. This time I'm going to make sure he stays down!_

He struggled, and yelled, but the rush of metal was coming from all sides now, pouring over him like sand and bringing him to his knees. It swirled around his legs, dragging his torso down under the heavy deluge. He gave one last scream, his hand reaching claw-like and desperate from the surging mass, before it was swallowed up and dragged him back down to whatever fate awaited him. Jessie sighed, and fancied that she felt over thirty years of tension melt away, not just from her, but from her whole family.

Feeling her wounds begin to magically close, she gathered her cards back into her deck, pausing to smile at her Jackpot 7's before shuffling them all together.

She paused, as a worrying thought occurred to her.

"...note to self - do not tell Blackwood about this win. That'll just convince him I'm an alien…"

TTTTTTT

Verthy snapped back to awareness in the worst way - in pain. And that was followed up by the memories of how she had gotten to be staring at the ceiling. _Plasma exploded...how can it have done that? It devours souls…_

"If you are not going to move, then kindly surrender." The Puppeteer's rasp pulled her into the rest of the way into awareness. "Your doll is eager to find a place among my shelves…"

The doll Verthy waved and jumped up and down, clapping in eagerness that was made all the more disturbing by how it had no face.

"I am not done." Verthy picked herself up, dusted herself off and readied herself again. "I do not know what happened, but Plasma was clearly destroyed and that means I can activate the effect of the Castle Terminus around us! When Plasma dies with an equipped card, I can revive him!" A demonic shadow appeared outside the clockface behind her briefly before vanishing upwards. And then out of the gears and sprockets and chains of the clock's mechanism, the winged emancipated hero descended with a cold sneer. (1900/600)

"What good will he do?" The Puppeteer was unimpressed. "Galaxy Queen was the only monster I had that had attack points. Absorbing them won't achieve anything."

"And that is where you are wrong! _Gravity Blood!" _Verthy smiled as Plasma spread his wings and Doll Part Blue was broken apart, sucked into them in a spray of red. "Next, I will equip Plasma further with Claret Wings!"

The hero's wings began to drip a rich, red blood steadily as he flared them, an oily sheen over them now. "This equip lets me do two things - first, I can destroy a monster equipped to him to halve the attack of your monsters!"

Doll Part Blue remerged, the doll's head straining for freedom and then it blew apart. As the blood spattered over the Puppeteer's remaining monsters, it began to hiss angrily as it ate holes in them like acid. (4000x3)

"Then Claret Wings allows me to use his equip effect again! _Gravity Blood!" _This time, it was Doll Part Pink that was drawn into Plasma, the torso struggling weakly before vanishing into the bloody wings. "And now Castle Terminus empowers him by eight hundred points for each card equipped to him!" (1900- 3500)

The Puppeteer's eyes widened above his mask as Plasma lifted himself higher with a bloody flap of his wings. "So this is the power of the Ultimate D-Card…!"

"Plasma attacks Doll Part Gold! _Bloody Fears!" _Plasma's wings beat again and spears of blood rained down, pulverizing the doll part into fragments that became pieces that became dust. The Puppeteer caught the edge of it, several of them lodging in his chest and sending him crashing into one of the counters for support. "I hope that teaches you some manners." (PLP: 2200-700)

"Hggnk…" The spears in his body faded away, leaving no wounds, but it was clear the Puppeteer was feeling the pain anyway. "You can hurt me all you like, Verthandi...but in the end, you'll only hurt yourself worse. You cannot escape your destiny…"

"Destiny is just a word, it has no more meaning than any other!" Verthy said curtly. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

"It is a word, yes...a word that makes you weep at night…" The Puppeteer drew for his turn. "It was the word that killed your mother…"

He was cut off as Plasma roared, the act kicking up a torrent of power that scattered the dolls around him and nearly blew off his hat. His gray eyes locked on the monster and suddenly, despite being dead, the Puppeteer knew the fear of death that is beyond death.

"Speak of my mother again." Verthy didn't raise her voice or even glare, just looked calm and polite. "See what happens."

"...I would rather not." The Puppeteer held up the card he had drawn. "I activate Monster Reborn, reviving my Galaxy Queen from the graveyard." A portal opened up in front of them and the snobbish queen rose out of it. She glared at Plasma, who just sneered and her colors drained away as his effect negation kicked in. "And before you state she is helpless without an effect or Xyz Material, I have another card to play."

He plugged it into his disk and the instant the card formed, it shattered into jagged pieces that lodged themselves into Galaxy Queen like she was a pincushion. Her scepter clattered to the ground as she hugged herself in pain. "Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force evolves her into a greater power!"

Black ichore oozed from her wounds, swelling up into broad bandages that coiled around her, wrapping the queen into a pulsating, black heart. _"Even if the universe dies, you endure. Bestowed upon you is reign eternal, your birthright is rule over all creation and beyond! Rank-Up Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Number C63: Galaxy Queen - Nebula Prominence!" _

The heart faded away, revealing the transformation his monster had undergone. Taller, her hair and hairs now ever-flowing masses of nebulae with stars winking inside. Her outfit was the twilight of the cosmos, pattered in shifting purple black as galaxies wheeled around. Her staff was crystal and topped with its own swirling galaxy. (1000/1000)

"Her rule is at an end! Plasma!" Verthy watched as her monster's power flowed out to drain the queen of her majesty...only for her own light to flare and erode away Plasma's aura. "How?!"

"Nebula Promience's effects cannot be negated." The Puppeteer reached for his graveyard. "I banish the spell Chimera Spectre from my graveyard. And because I have at least one complete set of Doll Parts in my graveyard, I can summon a Doll Chimera monster that my spell banished earlier! Come, Doll Chimera!"

Out of the darkness scuttled his monster. A human-sized doll that was cracked, chipped and broken with arms and legs reversed so it was crawling on all fours and the head forwards like an animal. It glared at Verthy with dead, lifeless eyes as though she were the fault for all the abuse it had suffered. (0/0)

"Then I activate Nebula Promience's effect! And because Nitemare Force is equipped to it, I do not have to expend an Xyz Material! Doll Chimera not only becomes immune to your card effects, but it may attack you directly!" Nebula Prominence touched the Chimera with her staff and it rattled as its power began to increase, chaotic blackness seeping out of the damages it had like something wanted out of the broken toy. "Doll Chimera gains four hundred attack points for each Doll Part in my graveyard! And there are ten! Attack directly!" (0 - 4400)

The chimera jumped over Plasma, limbs spread wide in an attempt to bearhug Verthy to death. The German woman didn't so much as flinch and snapped her fingers. "I activate Plasma Discharge! I destroy one equip card I have and the battle phase is ended! I choose the Doll Part Plasma has!" Plasma flew in between the two, a swipe from his dragon head sending Doll Chimera crashing into the ground. (3500-2700)

"All you did was make Doll Chimera stronger." The Puppeteer said as his Chimera flipped up right and scuttled back to his field. "I move my last Doll Part to defense mode and end my turn." (4400-4800)

"Draw!" Verthy picked up the next card and pointed at his Doll Part. "_Gravity Blood!" _

Plasma sucked the doll arms into his wings, chuckling coldly as his power rose again. (2700-3500)

"It is no use. My two monsters cannot be affected by your cards and Nebula Prominence cannot be attacked if I have another monster. So you cannot hurt me or use Claret Wings' effect to halve their scores." The Puppeteer said idly as he made his Verthy doll dance up and down. "You cannot fight against destiny, Verthandi.."

"I beg to differ and my next hero will help me do so! I summon Destiny Hero - Prediction Conversion!" Her new monster was odd, to say the least. Whereas her previous monsters had a unifying theme of dark, anti-heroic aesthetics and were influenced by British folklore and pop culture, this one was comparably drab. He had a dark mask shrouding his face, save for his mouth so he could smoke. But he wore a green dealer's jacket, simple pants and shirt and was constantly shuffling a deck of cards. (1200/400)

"This one…" The Puppeteer took a step back, eyes narrowed in focus and tone wary. "This one is not in your memories…"

"It wouldn't be - my mentor only had it made recently and I have never played it until now. But the effect he has is simple. First thing is that I draw a card." Verthy picked up the next card on her deck and flipped it around. "It is a monster card. Now I select one monster card in your graveyard and place it atop your deck. I pick Doll Part Blue."

The card slid out of the Puppeteer's graveyard and he wordlessly placed it atop his deck.

"But in doing that, my monster also goes back to the deck." Verthy returned her card to the top of her deck. "Not that matters - I'm about to win this duel."

"Are you?" The Puppeteer asked. "You have no cards in your hand, so you cannot use Drawber to shuffle my field back into my deck."

"But I have my trap card - Future Battle!" Verthy snapped her fingers and the card lifted. "During my Battle Phase, I can force you to draw! And if you draw a monster, you must summon it in attack mode! Of course, I have to attack it...but there's no risk when your monster is simply a doll, is there?"

The Puppeteer's eyes widened as his Doll Part Blue appeared on the field, the floating doll's head innocent and safe-looking...but still in attack mode. "No! I can't stop it!"

"Plasma! Attack that Doll Part! _Bloody Fears!" _Plasma flared his wings and the bloody spears rained down endlessly, smashing through the doll part and then the surrounding dolls and then the Puppeteer himself.

(PLP: 0)

Verthy had shielded her face from the debris the attack had kicked up, real or not, wood splinters in the eye would have been very painful. When she lowered them, Castle Terminus had vanished. And so had the Puppeteer, their monsters and all the dolls surrounding them. She was standing in the castle's greenhouse, a small square thing tacked on to one of the outer walls. Judging by the rows of potted plants and trays, Plato must have used it to grow food for the castle's residents.

Except lying in the center of the aisle on the opposite end was the Verthy doll.

The real Verthy walked over to it. It was limp and lifeless now, just a wooden figure badly dressed as her. She picked it up, tweaking one of the shapeless hands. Even the strings were gone. She turned it a bit, studying it….pausing only when she saw, etched into the doll's face, was her Rune Eye.

And the doll sang to her.

"_What I see, always comes to be. What I see, always comes to me. What I see, is always destiny~"_

Verthy felt pain rip through the left side of her skull, that eye forced open wide as the rune flared to a shine. The greenhouse parted into a fog that unrolled before her and she saw -

_-Bellerophon dueling, surrounded by crimson light and dragons she didn't recognize. But then the sun and the moon rose and devoured them and he crumpled, body cracking and crumbling as if he were just made of clay before a wind howled and scattered him -_

_-Sumire dying, chalk markings under her naked body surrounded by candles and blood pouring over her face with dark, heavy scars in her cheek and forehead and even her neck. Someone screaming out of sight-_

_-Pain. So much pain. Overwhelming pain, pain that made the world white and drowned out the world with a constant hum in her ears. She was holding something so tight and desperate and whatever it was, it was breaking in her grip and someone - someone was yelling her name and she wanted to yell back to let them know she was alive but the pain was just everything, every inch of her and then there was a cry, loud and high and panicked. And then she felt empty and hollow in a terrible way and then there was nothing...at...all…-_

Verthy snapped back and hurled the doll away with a cry of disgust and fear. But she never heard the doll hit the greenhouse. It simply seemed to not exist. She felt so cold, hugging shaking hands to shaking arms and squeezing until both stopped. _The visions...they were never like that. They were actual moments in time, not...not these vague, symbolic things! _

And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that these visions were as true as any other she'd seen. And they had all been true, so far.

_No. No, I cannot think like that. I must not think like that. Destiny is just a word. The future is always uncertain._ Verthy squeezed her deck in her hand for strength. _I have the deck that can defy destiny or fate. Whatever I see with this eye is just one moment in time and there is an infinite number of moments. What this was some kind of bad interaction between my power and this darkness surrounding us. The Puppeteer trying to get into my head one last time. _

She headed for the door, forcing her thoughts to focus on her friends and how she might be able to help them.

If she had looked back the way she had come, she might have seen the two ravens tucking themselves away in the greenhouse's foliage. Ravens that were staring at her with far more intensity than birds should have been capable of. One looked as though it were deep in thought, the other tracking everything as if it were trying to record every second of everything.

As one, they took flight and vanished out an open window, fading away before they hit the dome.

TTTTTTT

If anyone had a telescope pointed up at the sky above the Duelist Kingdom, they would have noticed something unusual in it. Well, unusual beyond the dome of shadowy energy entrapping the whole place.

A single, rather faint point of red light in the blue sky. So faint it was barely noticeable and might have been confused for a passing satellite or low-flying plane.

But this red light did not move, did not blink and was growing brighter.

It was a single, red star. One that had been drawing closer to Earth over the last twenty years. And if you were looking at this star through a telescope and had been plotting this star's course over the last two decades, you might notice it suddenly did something unusual. Instead of a slow, lazy arc around the solar system, it had...veered off course. A sharp, angled turn that a star should have never been capable of because they do not have brakes and are subject to the whims of gravity and momentum.

This crimson star was no longer traversing around the solar system as it was supposed to.

It was burning a path straight for the planet. And it was starting to shine.

And deep in the castle, in the twisted parody of his father's art studio, still sprawled atop the rubble he'd been blasted into, Bellerophon's fingers twitched.

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __As half our duels draw to a close, three still remain and the threat is not yet ended. But for once, it seems like a star of fortune has begun to shine on our heroes. What secrets will its crimson light reveal?_

_Next Chapter - Duel Madness! Marks of Destiny!_

_CREATED CARDS:_

_Note: Again, I am not going to list Toppa's cards because reasons and some cards will not be listed yet due to avoid spoilers as to their full effects. Also, Kaede is using the 'original version' of Kuriboh, who's discard ability negates battle or effect damage from a single source._

ROSEMARY

Allure Empress  
DARK  
Level 9  
Spellcaster/Fusion/Effect  
1000/2500  
Effect: One 'Allure Empress' monster + 1 Spellcaster-type monster  
This card is always treated as an 'Allure Queen' monster. When this card is Fusion Summoned, add one card that mentions 'Allure Queen' in your deck to your hand. Once per turn, you can target one face-up monster on the field whose level is equal to or lower than this card's level; equip that monster to this card. If this card would be destroyed as a result of battle, you can destroy one card-equipped to this card instead.

Allure Return  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Special Summon one 'Allure Queen' monster from your Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning Conditions and equip it with this card. This card is considered to be 'equipped by its own effect' while equipped to an 'Allure Queen' monster. If this face-up card is destroyed, destroy the equipped monster. If the equipped monster is destroyed, destroy this card.

CRYPT

Forbidden Mists Makiu  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Select a 'Summoned Skull' you control; destroy all face-up monsters on the field whose have equal to or less DEF than the selected monster's ATK. If you destroy three or more monsters with this effect, double the ATK of all 'Summoned Skull' you control. You may only activate one 'Forbidden Mists Makiu' per turn. During the turn you activate this card, only 'Summoned Skull' you control may attack.

Image: A Summoned Skull crackling with lightning, shrouded in heavy mists with unknown corpses sprawled around it.

Delta Strike  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: When the equipped monster battles, during the Damage Step, it gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all other face-up monsters of the same name. While this card is face-up on the field, only the equipped monster may declare an attack and other monsters that have the same name as the equipped monster cannot attack.

Image: Cyber Harpie Lady, glowing with energy, attacking Blue-Eyes while Harpie Lady 1, 2 and 3 back her up.

JESSIE

Signal Slots  
Continuous Trap Card  
Effect: Equip this card to a face-up monster your opponent controls after activation. When the equipped monster declares an attack, draw 1 card and reveal it. Then apply the following effects depending on the card drawn.

Monster: Negate the attack. Then the equipped monster attacks again immediately.

Spell: Negate the attack.

Trap: The equipped monster's ATK becomes direct. Then, discard all cards drawn by the effect of 'Signal Slots'.  
If you draw 3 or more cards in the same turn by the effect of 'Signal Slots', destroy this card. You may only control one face-up 'Signal Slots'.

Image: Neo-Spacian Glow Moss seated at a Slot Machine monster that's just lined up three Blue-Eyes White Dragons

Garden of the Darkest Rose  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: For each Field Spell Card in the graveyard or on the field, Special Summon one 'Rose Token. (DARK/2 stars/Plant/800/800). Monsters summoned by this effect cannot be Tributed and cannot attack your opponent directly.

Image Rose Tokens blooming in some dark soil, a draconic shadow looming over them.

PUPPETEER

Number C63: Galaxy Queen - Nebula Prominence  
LIGHT  
Rank 2  
Spellcaster/Xyz/Effect  
1000/1000  
Effect: This card's effects cannot be negated. This card cannot be selected as a target for an opponent's attack or card effect if you control another monster. If this card has 'Number 63: Galaxy Queen' as a material, it gains the following effects: Once per turn, you can remove one Xyz Material from this card; select a face-up monster you control. Until the End Phase of your opponent's next turn, that monster becomes unaffected by your opponent's card effects and can attack directly.

Chimera Spectre  
Normal Spell Card  
Effect: Banish one 'Doll Chimera' monster in your Graveyard. All face-up 'Doll Parts' you control gain 2000 ATK. Destroy them during the End Phase. While this card is in the Graveyard (except the turn it was sent there) and you have at least four Doll Parts in your graveyard with different names, you can banish this card; Special Summon one banished 'Doll Chimera' monster, ignoring its Summoning Conditions. You can only activate this effect of 'Chimera Spectre' once per turn.

Image: The four original Doll Parts sprouting eldritch tentacles and eyes visible in their damaged portions as the shadow of a larger-than-life Doll Chimera skulks in the background.

VERTHY

Castle Terminus  
Field Spell Card  
Effect: If 'Destiny Hero - Plasma' equipped with a monster is destroyed, you can Special Summon it from your Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning Conditions. If 'Destiny Hero - Plasma' can be equipped with more than 1 monster at a time. For each card equipped to it, 'Destiny Hero - Plasma' gains 800 ATK.

Claret Wings  
Equip Spell Card  
Effect: Equip only to 'Destiny Hero - Plasma'. The equipped monster can activate its effect a second time each turn. Once per turn, you can destroy a card equipped to the equipped monster; halve the ATK and DEF of all face-up monsters your opponent controls.

Image: The silhouette of 'Destiny Hero - Plasma' with his wings spread, a sheen of blood on them and countless faces visible on them, straining to escape.


	18. Duel Madness! Marks of Destiny!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 18: Duel Madness! Marks of Destiny!

"Well, it was two steps forwards, but one step back." Annalissa's professional calm kept the irritation out of her words, but not her face as she clicked off the intercom. "That was Rosemary. She and Toppa are alive, but the door out her room is some kind of twisted pathway and she's not sure they can move through it."

"Crypt and Kaede report the same. As does Jessiebelle, but none of them report injuries." Sumire said. She looked off to be staring into space, but the eyepiece mounted over her right eye was busy, cycling through images and casting odd shadows on her face. "The drones can find them, but the passages are seeming to be more twisted and dangerous than they were a moment ago."

"Whatever is doing this must not like losing." The doctor suggested. "Keeping us from pulling the same trick twice. And at least they all landed up somewhere safe. If this thing can warp reality this, it'd have been an easy move to drop them into a pit of lava or something."

"Whose to say it hasn't done that to Daniel and Reginald? We haven't heard from them." Cathy Cathy put in worriedly. "Same thing with Blackwood and Jackie."

"Stop thinking of worst-case scenarios and be thinking about what we can do to help." Sumire barked in irritation. "Or better yet, keep your mouth shut."

"I'm trying, but I said, I stress talk and this is really, really stressful! What if something comes in here to duel us? None of us can play!" Cathy said, fingers fretting against each other. "And look how red Mr. Pegasus' vitals are! What if this kills him?! And then it comes after us!?"

"This will not kill him - my husband is used to such things and is one of the world's finest duelists." Sumire growled, but found herself looking at the stats screen anyway. Bellerophon's vitals were all disturbingly high and their corresponding bars were all red. Frustration gnawed at her - hadn't she promised to be a better wife to him after all this today? And now she was stuck watching him fight.

Her gaze flicked over the screen, finding the little box tucked in the corner labeled 'Maximillion Pegasus'. To her mild surprise, his stats were always spiked. "Dr. Annalissa, are Maximillion's vitals supposed to be high?"

The doctor looked over at the screen, staring at them for a moment. "They're not unnaturally high for a person in his position. But I'm not surprised that they're elevated. His vitals always spike when magical stuff happens around Duelist Kingdom."

Cathy's eyes bugged out. "Are you telling me this stuff always happens here?!"

"Not to this extreme." Annalissa assured her. "But there are some items around the castle that are magical. And when they act up, his vitals change. Like he's worried about the island and his son."

Sumire felt something twist in her heart and looked away suddenly, only to find herself looking at the man's sleeping form. His face was tight, as though he was having a bad dream - even when comatose, Pegasus was still worried about his son. What was it like to have that kind of bond? What if Bellerophon did die here? What if Pegasus woke up and found he'd exchanged a son for a daughter? How could she face him if that happened?

_I will not let that happen. I cannot let that happen. _Sumire promised the sleeping man. But what could she do now? They didn't even have a deck-

Her gaze fell on the stack of cards tucked into the man's folded hands. The deck Bellerophon had made for him. None of them know what it was or how to use the cards, let alone to play Duel Monsters at all. And yet…

Annalissa spared a glance at the stat screens, blinking as one of them caught her eye. It took her a moment to realize it was Sumire's. _That's right, she's using the other pair of the headpieces Maximillion has. _

Her doctor's intuition told her that it looked odd and following it, she brought up Maximillion's screen. Their vitals were separate, but their brainwave activity was odd. _What are these random bits of overlapping? _"Sumire - did you calibrate your headpieces before you put them on?"

"She's gone." Cathy squeaked and Annalissa whirled. Indeed, the room was empty of the Egyptian woman and the door was open. "She just grabbed the deck from Mister Pegasus and ran out, started climbing up the stairwell!"

"Why would she do that!? She doesn't play the game and it's dangerous out there!" Annalissa rolled her chair to the computer Sumire had been using, swearing under her breath as a new dot on the map labeled 'Sumire' was moving erratically along the paths. "Sumire!"

TTTTTTT

"Well, look who's up? And look at the messy bedhead, tsk, tsk." Pegasus drawled as his Toons snickered behind their hands. "Didn't I teach you to take more pride in your appearance?"

Lero didn't have a response ready to go and he wasn't sure he had the energy to invest in one. His whole body hurt and he could feel blood running along his scalp, a thick strand of his lilac hair now a ruddy purple. He was standing, but his feet felt leaden and he reached for his cane lying in the rubble. But when he pulled it up, only the top half came.

"You look so lost, Lero-boy! Must be a struggle to stay on your feet with the pounding you've just taken! Don't worry, just one more turn and I'll put you to bed!" Pegasus said in a fatherly tone, but it was ruined by his sinister grin. "First, I'll set four cards face-down…." They flashed into existence behind his four Toons. "And then I'll use Toon Dark Magician's effect again to summon Toon Dark Magician Girl!"

A curtain appeared and Toon Dark Magician drew it back, letting out the famous female spellcaster leap out. She was giggly and bubbly, but then the effects of Toon Castle Nightdread took hold. She suddenly looked more mature, more seductive and more eager to cause pain given how she fixed Lero with a look. She drew a finger under her throat and laughed. (2000/1700)

"There we go - now we have enough firepower so that when it hits you next turn, you won't feel a thing!" Pegasus promised. "So go ahead, son!"

Lero tried to growl, felt something catch in his throat and spat a globule of blood on to the stonework. "I draw."

He tugged the card free and then put it into his disk. A grinning green jar appeared in front of him and laughed before shattering. "Pot of Greed means I can draw two cards!"

Snapping them up, he held one up. "Let's see how you like direct attacks! I activate Reflect Energy! I tribute one of my Satellite Cannons-" One of his screens winked just, though not before showing the satellite exploding. "And now Balsam-X can attack you directly!"

His fusion satellite began to gather sunlight, charging up its weapons. Pegasus just chuckled. "Too bad I have a trap, Lero! Reverse card open! Dimension Reflector!"

Toon Dark Magician and Toon Dark Magician Girl floated up in the air, crossing their staves in front of themselves. Then they became glossy images on a gigantic mirror suspended in an ornate frame. It angled up towards Lero's Satellites. "My trap may banish my two magicians, but not only does it become a monster with power equal to your Balsam-X, it deals you damage equal to Balsam- X's attack!"

"Not if my Satellites aren't there! I activate my set High-Rate Draw!" Lero's trap flipped and his Satellites exploded, the pieces plummeting out of the sky to shatter the gigantic mirror. "I lost three machines, so I draw three cards!"

"I'd point out that you got rid of your defenses by doing that, but then again...against my Toons, there isn't a defense, is there?" Pegasus snarked as Lero drew and then slid two cards into his disk. "Weren't you listening? You can't stop my Toons!"

"I'm listening, but like most times when Dad gets all worked up, all I'm hearing is hot air." Lero grimaced as he shifted his stance and his body trembled traitorously. "End turn…!"

"My move and I'll start my turn by activating my Escape from the Dark Dimension trap card." Pegasus said as he drew. The card lifted and a rip in reality opened in front of him, his Toon Dark Magician squeezing itself out of it comically. "Then because I can never have enough cards, I'll use Magic Planter to send my trap to the graveyard and then draw two cards."

The trap blew apart and he drew again. "Next, my Toon Dark Magician is going to rustle up just a bit more firepower! I discard a card to summon BLue-Eyes Toon Dragon from my deck!" The third Toon Dragon appeared in front of him, all three giving Lero leering, hungry looks. (3000/2500)

"And now…!" Pegasus said dramatically, then grinned. His deck spat out a card and he shoved it into the graveyard, the eerie carousel music starting up again "I activate the effect of Toon Castle Nightdread! I send Toon World from my deck to the graveyard and now my Toons are safe from harm! You've proven a tricksy opponent, Lero-boy and I just can't take any chances!"

His Toon Dragons began to draw in their attacks, one after the other like they were a barbershop trio. "Any last words?"

"Just three - reverse card open!" Lero's card flipped up. "Born from Draconis!"

"Born from Draconis?" Pegasus looked confused, even as his dragon shared equally confused looks, but kept charging their attacks. "Did you not just hear me? That won't work on my Toons!"

"It doesn't hurt your Toons, it summons the monster that will!" Lero's graveyard began to slid out cards, one after another and he collected them all. "I banish all light machines in my graveyard! Then I summon one from my hand! Descend, Cyber Eltanin!"

Light flooded the room, a shape rising up behind Lero. It was absolutely massive, a metal dragon's head floating in the air. Then parts of it began to detach, lifting themselves up to reveal they were smaller variations on the Cyber Dragon style of head. The whole thing looked like a shiny, draconic star radiating dragons. "The monster summoned by Born From Draconis gains five hundred attack points for each banished monster! I banished twelve!" (0/0- 6500/6500)

"That's a whole lot of attack points." Pegasus agreed, even as his toons all comically panicked at the sight of the monster. "Pity they can't hurt my Toons."

"God, no wonder people hated Toons so much - you never shut up about how invincible they are!" Lero shoved his monsters into the banished slot on his disk and then lifted that hand out towards them. "But they aren't - Toon Castle Nightdread protects them from destruction, but not from rules of the game! Specifically, when Elantin is summoned, it sends all other monsters on the field to the graveyard! And sending is not destruction!"

Pegasus' eye widened, as did his Toon's, in true worry this time as Eltanin's primary head opened, gathering blue light in the back of it. "But-but-but!"

"_Evolution Sublimation!" _Lero couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as the blast fired, becoming a wave of light that swallowed up Pegasus' five Toons and erased them from existence. "Like sandblasting graffiti off my walls…"

"You just have no appreciation for fine art!" Pegasus growled, his smarmy face wiped clean with his monsters. Then his look became devious. "But maybe that's my fault- as an artist, I have to make sure my art is relatable! So lets' try taking your monster and giving it a make-over! Reverse card open!"

One of his set cards flipped up, revealing a quick-play card. It quickly began to glow white. "Swords At Dawn! I take one equip card in the graveyard and give it to a monster! So why don't I use my Comic Hand equip and take control of your Cyber Eltanin!"

A set of exetendable hands launched out of the glowing card, spreading big wide to clasp onto Eltanin like a child with a toy. Pegasus chuckled as they began to retract, hauling the machine towards him...then the hands shattered, their extension mechanism blowing up in sequence until it reached his spell and blew that apart, too. "What happened! Why did my spell card fail?!"

"Sorry, Eltanin's a big boy toy and you're too little!"" Lero taunted, chuckling himself as Pegasus growled. "I'll clue you in - the monster summoned by Born from Draconis is unaffected by all other card effects except its own and the trap's. You can basically say it does what your Toon Castle Nightdread does, but better!"

"Pity I can't say the same for your dueling skills and mine! There's a way around your monster and I can easily find it!" Pegasus held up a spell card. "I activate Heaven's Lost Property! Now we both draw three cards and discard two!"

They both complied with the effect, Lero flinching at the sight of Ra. Instantly, his body felt hot and dry, the sweat evaporating off him and in the back of his mind, a soft crackle of flames was building to a roar. He quickly shoved the card and his other choice into his graveyard, then glanced across the playing field. Pegasus was scowling, sulkily shoving two cards into his graveyard. "Ahh, didn't get what you want? Guess your skills are rusting away, old man."

Pegasus just glowered. "I end my turn."

"I draw!" Lero snapped up the card and snapped out a hand. "Now it's your turn to see what it's like to take a direct attack! Cyber Eltanin! _Strident Sublimation!" _

The ring of dragon heads charged up in sequence, but fired as one. Their blasts combined into a singular stream of power that enveloped Pegasus bodily and then detonated skywards, ripping open a portion of the ceiling and shaking the room. (PLP: 8000-1500)

TTTTTTT

_Jackie scoffied. "What - you're not going to play twenty questions with the dead celebrity and all the mystical bullshit he went through? Isn't that what you conspiracy nuts live for?"_

_"No. My interests lie outside Seto Kaiba and his ego." Blackwood drew his opening hand. "So let's move on from this interlude so I can get back to the real mysteries."_

The Pro grunted in mild exertion as energy crackled over him. "Ah...the Intrusion Penalty…" (BLP: 8000-4000)

"Oh, that's fine, treat losing half your life points like a bug bite. Not like I've been losing literal pieces of myself here…" Jackie muttered under her breath. "Goddam show-off…"

"Please save your complaints for when I make my move." Blackwood said with the barest hint of a grin and drew a sixth card. "From my hand, A-Cell Recombination Device! I send Alien Harvester to the graveyard and then palace six A-Counters on your monster!"

"Hnnn?" Kaiba just sneered as six lights appeared in a ring around Rhongomyniad, only for his monster's sword to slash them all apart. "Rhongomyniad is unaffected by such a weak move! Such power cannot be tarnished!"

"Then I will just defeat it! I summon-" Blackwood paused as his Duel Disk beeped waringly at him. His brow knitted in frustration. "Another one of your monsters abilities?"

"Now you're catching on - Rhongomyniad has four or more materials, so you cannot summon monsters!" Kaiba laughed. "You can only cower in helplessness and wait for me to defeat you!"

"I set one monster in defense mode and three cards face-down." Blackwood swept all the cards into his disk. "End turn!"

"During your End Phase, Rhonogymiad loses one Xyz Material." Kaiba watched one of the floating spheres surrounding his armored monster wink out. "Now it has four."

"Which still means I can't kill that thing. Just great! Draw." Jackie pulled the card free, trying to ignore how her fingers were missing pieces. "I set one monster in defense mode. End turn and your broke-ass monster gets weaker." Another light winked out, leaving three remaining.

"It's still strong enough to beat you both." Kaiba said as he drew, his face settling in a sadistic smirk when he saw what it was. "But let's drive home how big the gap between you two and me is! Activate Monster Reborn! Revive, Mosaic Nemean!" Sand exploded nearby, the golden form of his lion fusion leaping free of the desert. "Battle! Destroy the bitch's set monster!"

"Go! Staunch Defender! You have to attack my monster now!" Blackwood's set card lifted and Nemean pounced, its massive forepaws shattering his set monster easily. "And it was Alien Grey - your monster gains one A-Counter as your attack flipped it up!"

Nemean growled in disgust as a leech-like parasite latched onto its body. Blackwood was already activating his other set card. "Then I reveal Alien Brain! You just destroyed a Reptile-type monster, so now your Lion becomes mine!"

"Tch, weak move! Stealing from your superiors!" Kaiba hissed. "Since I can't attack with Rhonogymiad thanks to Staunch Defender, I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

"Draw." Blackwood drew and then held it up. "I activate another A-Cell Recombination Device, sending Alien Mother to the graveyard to give Nemean six more A-Counters." The lion growled in protest as six more leeches latched onto it, but that was all it could do. "Then I end my turn by setting a card. And so your 'invincible' monster becomes decidedly less so. It now only has two Xyz Material."

"It's still stronger than anything we have." Jackie pointed out as she drew.

"That will change once you summon your dragon." Blackwood informed her. "I have set the stage for it."

"Eh?" Jackie looked over at him in confusion. _All he's got his set cards and Nemean. And it's not like I can just borrow that thing's attack points…" _ She caught sight of the leeches clinging to the fusion and then it clicked. _That monster he sent to the graveyard…!_

"I activate Pot of Greed! I draw twice!" Jackie snapped up the cards. _C'mon, deck, work with me here…! Yes! _"I sacrifice my set monster for Timeater!" The warped purple clock appeared in front of her, its ticking made louder only by the desert's silence. (1900/1700)

"Then I return one card in my hand to the top of my deck to summon Plaguespreader Zombie!" The sand grew wet and soggy, burbling as the shambling, putrid Tuner crawled out of her, it's sores and pustules throbbing like hearts. (800/400)

"I tune my two monsters together!" The tuner exploded, becoming rings that began to consume Time Eater. "_Peel back the curtain of life and expose the eyes of the underworld! Gaze upon all sin and become all darkness! Synchro Summon! Level 8!"_

Her shadow stretched out behind, wider and broad and inhumane. Hundreds of eyes opened on it and it tore itself free of both her and the ground with a triumphant roar. "_Hundred-Eyes Dragon!"_ (3000/2500)

"That thing is a dragon?" Kaiba sounded disgusted and annoyed. "It's a child's nightmare!"

"Don't care what you think! I activate Hundred-Eyes Dragon's effects! I copy the effect of one Dark monster in the graveyard! I select Alien Harvester in Blackwood's graveyard!" Jackie smirked as her dragons' eyes glowed an eerie shade of green. "My monster gains three hundred attack points for each A-Counter in play when it battles! And Nemean Lion has seven! _Doom Glare!" _ (3000-5100)

Hundred-Eyes's body began to pulse, energy flooding the massive central eye on its chest. Then it fired, the beam leaving the smell of ozone in the air and glassing the sand underneath it as it ripped towards Rhongomyniad. The Xyz monster had to plant its weapon into the sand to remain standing as hte attack washed over it. Kaiba howling in sudden surprise and pain as the excess energy tore at his clothing. (KLP: 3200-1100)

Jackie swore as the attack ended and saw her target still standing, armor smoking violently. "It didn't die!? How many damn effects does that thing have!?"

"As long as it has one…you can't kill my monster in battle.." Kaiba managed to give her a smirk as he straightened, smoking himself. "And you can't kill me!"

"We'll see about that! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Jackie slapped the card into her disk, watching as one of Rhongomyniad's two remaining materials winked out and its scores began to drop. "About time!" (3000/3000-1500/1500)

"Draw…!" Kaiba drew and chuckled coldly. "Normally, I'd be loathe to use this, but you two need a lesson in power! I activate Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force!"

Shadows exploded out of the sand, spearing into Rhongomyniad. The armor might as well be tinfoil with how they twisted into it. Then they began to coil around the monster, cocooning in a shadowy black heart. _"Power great becomes power absolute! Stand above all in glory, their bodies the altar of your triumph! Rank-Up Xyz Summon! Number C86: Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad Alter!" _

The cocooning heart beat a few times, then went still before dissolving away. Underneath was a bulky armored figure, but a woman. She was covered in some kind of liquid metal clothing that was ever-shifting and flowing around her form. What skin was visible was covered in glowing tattooed lines and her eyes were an inhumane teal. Her hair rippled in the desert wind, more a gaseous mass than strands. And in her hands were two six-foot zweihanders. (0/0)

"...okay, I could totally blame Sky Horse for the upgraded version being some kind of super hot woman, but your card is clearly magical." Jackie said, eyeing up the new monster warily. Hundred-Eyes roared a challenge, but the woman didn't even flinch.

"I activate Oni-Gami Combo." Kaiba watched as the single orb of light around Alter winked out. "By removing all of her xyz material, she can attack twice this round."

He held up a second spell card. "Then I use Swing of Memories to revive Material Armadillo." The armored ball monster reappeared in a flash of light.

Alter's body began to shine with teal light, her swords charging up. "And now that she has no material, her full power is awakened! All other monsters on the field are destroyed! _Destruction Great Wave!" _

Alter slashed both swords through the air, unleashing twin waves of power. Jackie slapped a hand on her disk. "I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter! Hundred-Eyes leaves the field until the End Phase!"

Her dragon faded away, leaving her to shield herself as the crescent slammed explosively into the sand in front of her. Blackwood braced himself as the second crescent sheared through Mosaic Nemean like the fusion was butter. "I activate my two set Alien Healing Pods! They each give three hundred life points per A-counter when a monster with them is destroyed! Nemean had seven! I give them to Miss Jackie!"

Jackie breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she glowed, her life points rising and the missing Lego gaps in her began to patch themselves mostly up. "Thanks." (JLP: 300-4500)

Kaiba just laughed as Alter carved up Material Armadillo. "It won't save you for long! Alter gains one thousand attack points for each monster she destroys!" (0/0-2000/2000)

Twin roars echoed and out of the dunes behind him leapt two Material Lions. "And since Nemean went to my graveyard, I summon Material Lions in attack mode!" (1800x2)

He thrust a hand out at Blackwood. "Alter! Destroy that intruder! _Spear of Destiny - Alter!" _ The monster charged with inhumane speeds, landing right in front of Blackwood before he had time to react.

"Blackwood!" Jackie stared as the Xyz slashed him across the chest in an 'X' pattern. The big man went flying, trailing lego blocks and went crashing out of sight behind a sand dune. "You bastard! You killed him!" (BLP: 0)

"The strong live, the weak die! Now drown in your own helplessness and die! Material Lions! _Double Scratch Claw!" _Kaiba laughed as his two lions pounced on Jackie, claw strikes sending sprawl of lego across the sands as they tore into her. (JLP: 4600-1000)

Eventually, they got bored and returned to Kaiba's field, growling and lashing their tails. Their owner just sneered at the prone woman. "How's it feel, turtle? To lie helpless on your back? To know your power isn't enough to even save yourself?"

"S...shut the fuck up…" Jackie rolled over, her broken body heaving and bile and lego spews tumbled out her mouth. "I'm...I'm gonna destroy you…!"

"You simply haven't the means, weakling." Kaiba sneered as his turn ended and Hundred-Eyes Dragon reappeared with an angry roar. But then the Synchro began to sag, its eyes closing one by one as it crashed to one knee. "Rhongomyniad Alter negates the effects of all other monsters when she has no material. And you cannot attack any monster I have but her! Your so-called 'dragon' is dead on its feet!"

An explosion shook the desert and Kaiba jerked in surprise as the rocking continued. The sky began to crack and a hunk of it fell away. In the hole was damaged stone work that had further holes in it and visible through all the damaged levels was the dome surrounding the island. It was all encompassing blackness.

Except for a burning point of distant red light. Kaiba stared at that red light and felt something worm its way into his body he didn't know he could feel.

Fear.

TTTTTTT

The explosion faded, leaving Pegasus panting for breath and slumped over.

Lero wanted to take satisfaction in it, but he wasn't too far from that state himself. He still felt hot from Ra's presence, but his clothes weren't damp, like the god was preventing him from sweating. Or maybe he was running out of water to sweat. His body ached and without his cane, he didn't trust himself to take a step without his leg struggling. And his armfold was more to keep them steady than confidence. "I set two more cards face-down. End turn."

"Very good, Lero-boy…" Pegasus managed as he stood straighter and dusted off his suit. "Very good indeed - it is going to make defeating you all that more satisfying. I draw!"

He did so and erupted into giggles. "Oh, looks like lady luck favors me. I do so hope you weren't planning on your 'invincible' monster from stopping me from winning, Lero!" He flipped his card around. "Monster Reborn! Revive, Toon Dark Magician, so we can start the fun all over again!"

A burst of light flared and the toon reappeared, twirling his staff again and looking menacing.

"Trap activate! Cyber Galaxy!" Lero watched as both Eltanin and Toon Dark Magician became shafts of light that launched themselves skywards. "I sacrifice one monster on either side of the field so long as they have over two thousand attack points and then I summon Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon from my deck!"

A pillar of light erupted in front of him, in which a dragonoid shape could be seen. The light condensed down onto the shape, molding over it into armor. The air hissed and sizzled as it cooled and in the depths of the angular helm, two eyes lit up with shimmering light that resemble swirling galaxies. (3000/2500)

"Oh no! You've foiled my Toons again!" Pegasus put a hand on his face in shock. "And I haven't a single Toon left who can defeat such a mighty beast!"

Lero narrowed his eyes. _Oh, that's not good...Dad always does that when he's about to pull out a nasty surprise._

True to his prediction, Pegasus' lips went from shocked into a thin line of menace. "Good thing my next card lets me summon a monster that _isn't _a Toon! I activate Relinquished Fusion!" Two cards fell out of his graveyard. "I banish the Relinquished and Thousand-Eyed Idol I discarded last turn from my graveyard! This lets me fusion summon a monster who's not only quite the looker, but sees every wonderful stare the world can give it!"

It was a legless hunk of purple flesh floating in front of him with a single golden Eye of Horus in the center. And then the flesh parted, lifting into wings to reveal the emnicated, void of a mouth underneath, the longer, razor claws. And to top it off, with sharp wet noises, eyes began to open all over the monster. Dozens. Hundreds. A thousand. "Say hello to Thousand-Eyes Restrict! In fact, your Galaxy-Eyes is going to get up close and personal with him! _Absorption Force!" _(0/0)

"No!" Lero could only watch helpless as that gaping maw began to suck in air that quickly became a devouring vortex. His Galaxy-Eyes struggled, but even its heavy body couldn't keep it from being yanked off its footing and pulled into the mouth like something being sucked into a black hole. "Galaxy-Eyes!"

Pegasus just chuckled as Thousand-Eyes Restrict's wings folded shut and then the head of Lero's monster emerged from the flesh, clearly in pain and struggling. "You know, you've had this dragon for ten years and it's never seemed to do anything for you! Summon it and it gets destroyed, bounced or absorbed by my favorite monster! Kind of a weak card design if you ask me…"

He snapped his fingers as though an idea had occurred to him. "I know! Let's finally put to good use! A battery! My Thousand-Eyes Restrict gains his attack points!" (0-3000)

The older man pointed at Lero. "Let's give it a go! Thousand-Eyes Restrict! _Pilfered Power!" _

Lero felt his body twist in pain as light was sucked from Galaxy-Eyes' eyes into Thousand-Eyes Restrict, the Eye of Horus charging up a ugly blue attack. "I...I activate Dark Wall of Wind! I take no damage from your direct attack!"

"You're such a spoilsport, Lero-boy...I happen to like my wonderful theory…" Pegasus sighed dramatically, hand on his forehead. Then it lifted just enough to let Lero see the black, pulsing false Millenium Eye in his skull and the twisted smile underneath. "Oh what the hell! Let's do it anyway! Fire!"

Lero's card had generated a wall of wind around him and the attack slammed into it hard. Rather than being dispersed by the wind, it just ground against it, loud and angry as it drilled into the protection. It felt like the noise was being screwed into his head and Lero cried out as both his barrier and the attack exploded together, the backlash hurling him off his feet.

He felt rubble against his back, saw the ceiling and the damaged floors above him that showed out the outside darkness. His Duel Disk beeped, indicating his turn, but he scarcely heard it above the thundering of his heart in his ears. Everything inside him felt tight, like dozens of gears suddenly jammed to a halt and still straining to move. _I don't have anything left…!_

His deck had cards, but it was built around one-turn-kills. He'd burned through most of his moves and what he had left wasn't much. He tried to imagine what cards he had still, tried to piece them into a solution, but it all slipped through his mind like water through a sieve. _Can't...can't...can't…_

The word wound itself around his brain, squeezing out all other rational thought. His heart was thudding so hard he could feel the throb radiating up into his throat and into his ears. He needed to stand, but his legs were shaking too hard. Black began to cloud the edges of his vision. He had to get away...he had to _move_…

Off in a distance that was far, far away, he could hear Pegasus talking. "After all these years of climbing on rooftops and falling down the dungeon stairs, you've finally realised that staying down is the sensible option. Well, it took you a while, Lero-boy, but then again, you were never the sharpest crayon…"

Lero couldn't find a retort. He couldn't even find his tongue. Everything was cloying, choking and constricting. He just had to move..._move_...

But he didn't because he couldn't and he couldn't because he had to and for some reason, the motivation and the logic to make that happen just wasn't _there._

In its place, in every part of him, was the quiet, cold fear that replaced his heart. Everywhere to go, nowhere to move.

And time stretched on.

TTTTTTT

The star burned towards Earth like a ballistic missile, traveling faster than it really had any right to and shedding crimson energy in a long, streaking tail. Of course, relative to other planetary bodies and the millions upon thousands of miles it had to cross, it may as well have been standing still.

It kept going, speed ever increasing in increments. Headed towards Earth, towards the resonance it could feel on the planet's surface. Two points, one struggling to get ignited in the sand and another fighting to stay lit in the darkness.

Even at lightspeed, it would not make it in time.

But the star had something else besides light speed. It reached out to those two sparks, reached to touch them and connect them to each other and itself.

Destiny travels faster than light.

TTTTTTT

Pegasus hummed the 'Funny Bunny' theme song to himself, tapping his toe in time to the music and broke with a delight noise as Lero's Duel Disk beeped. "Ah! Looks like he's timed out! Excellent - my move."

He drew, pausing pointedly. But Lero was busy staring sightlessly at the ceiling, twitching like a robot with misfiring circuits. "Nothing to do?" A dramatic sigh. "You can't even bring down a good curtain call, can you? How disappointing…"

He lifted his hand and Thousand-Eyes Restrict made a gurgling noise. "Put the poor boy out of his misery! _Pilfered Power!" _

The energy charged, gathering into the Eye of Horus and then with a sharp crack, launched towards Lero's prone form.

And struck something just before could hit him. Whatever the something was, it absorbed the full force of the attack, shuddered and then exploded into a cheerily brilliant shower of confetti. Pegasus stared at it dumbly, even as a bit of tinsel wafted into his hair. "What was _that!?" _

"That was Peformage Damage Juggler." A new voice called - Sumire, active Duel Disk on her arm and stepping into the room like she owned it. "And it can be discarded to negate the damage from one battle."

"Performage?" Pegasus questioned and then cocked his head at her. "And just who are you? Come to pay last respects - I wouldn't bother, though, he probably can't hear you."

Sumire ignored him, sprinting over to where Lero lay. She knelt and checked his pulse, then his airways and made sure nothing was going to hurt him. She put a hand on his forehead. "I am here, Bellerophon. You are not alone. I will not leave you alone."

Then she stood and stepped to occupy the space he had been. "This duel is not over!"

"Oohh, a new challenger! Maybe you'll be more fun than that droll boy that calls himself my son!" Pegasus said and chuckled as energy sparked over Sumire, making her clench her fists. "Toughing out the Intrusion Penalty? Afraid to show weakness?" (SLP: 8000 - 4000)

"Afraid to show weakness to a clown? If I were the kind of woman to laugh, that thought would make me giggle." Sumire drew for the start of her turn. "I activate the continuous spell card - Performapal Sky Stage!"

The card appeared in front of her and a cloud-themed stage appeared in front of her. The clouds had smiles painted on them and the curtain was shimmering silk, crossed top hats decorating the lower border. "When this card is activated, I may add Performapal Sky Magician from my deck!"

Her deck slid out a card and she caught between her fingers. "And when I have no monsters, Sky Stage lets the real star of this deck descend! I summon Performapal Sky Magician!"

The stage's curtains parted, a spotlight snapping on to illuminate the figure standing there. His cape was massive, more like wings of fabric than a garment. A rakishly tilted top hat with red feathers topping a brilliantly colored costume of red and blue and a painted smile on a mask. The monster bowed to Pegasus and clapped his hands as he straightened, pulling out five massive Chinese rings locked together. (2500/2000)

"Hmmm, a five out of ten. Good presentation, terrible on substance and longevity!" Pegasus snapped his fingers and one of his set cards flipped up. It transformed in a briefcase with zipper teeth and googly eyes. "Toon Briefcase is going to send him right back into your deck!"

"This magician's performance is just beginning, so the audience can remain where they are! Sky Magician, I activate your special ability!" Sumire snapped her fingers in a professional way and Sky Magician jumped into the air, cape spreading to carry him aloft. He twirled his rings around and then fell over the Sky Stage card, hiding it from view. "I can return one continuous spell on the field to my hand and then activate another!"

The rings lifted, revealing a pale green hand decorated in rings of all sorts on all five fingers. Seeing the Toon Briefcase launch forwards, the hand wagged a chiding finger and then made a gun. A single bolt of power blew the briefcase into pieces. "This is Magician's Left Hand! And once per turn, this card negates the effect of one you trap cards!"

"Ah…!" Pegasus watched his briefcases pieces smoke away into nothingness, then gave her a huff. "Not a bad move, miss. But a monster like that has to be a one-trick pony!"

"Everything is part of the act, not just the magician. When a continuous spell card is activated, Sky Magician gains three hundred attack points." Sumire held up the Sky Stage card. "And when Sky Magician returns Sky Stage, I can discard to add another continuous spell card to my hand." She shoved the card into her graveyard and caught the one her deck slid out as Sky Magician gained another ring to his set. (2500-2800)

"How nice - pity those attack points can't help your magician." Pegasus gestured to Thousand-Eyes Restrict, whose eyes were opening again. "My monster's Thousand-Eyed Spell is still active, meaning your monster cannot attack! Not that he can beat mine, anyway."

"That spell is a smoke show, you detestable doppelganger and I'm going to blow it away with my next move!" Sumire slapped down another card and a new spotlight snapped on to reveal her monster. It was a spider girl, cartoonish and adorable and dressed smartly in an usher's uniform. She waved cheerily to Pegasus with her flashlight. "Performapal Spider Usher is here to lead you to your defeat!" (800/1400)

Spider Usher snapped on her flashlight as Thousand-Eyes Restrict gurgled and shone it on the fusion. The other monster hissed and its eyes began to blink rapidly in protest at the blinding light. Pegasus cried out as several eyes began to shrivel and smoke. "Oh no!"

"Spider Usher can negate monster effects for other Performapals I have and I chose that eyesore! And now, not only is his Thousand-Eyed Spell negated, so is his ability to equip monsters!" Sumire smirked as Galaxy-Eyes-head vanished into light, Restrict's body rocking back and forth as countless eyes smoked. (3000-0)

"Don't get ahead of yourself! I activate my set card - the continuous trap Animation Spell!" Pegasus chuckled as the card lifted and spewed out a tidal wave of colorful ink over his monster. "This card turns all my other Spellcasters into Toons! Which means-"

"-which means you'll be using your Toon Castle Nightdread to protect Restrict from my attacks and effects." Sumire tossed her hair over her shoulder, hand on her hip at Pegasus' protestant noise. "I know how the card works, too."

"Knowing it doesn't change it!" Pegasus watched as the ink receded, leaving a soft-edged, googly-eyed version of his fusion behind. Catching sight of Sumire, the monster clasped its claws, its wing opening so the center mouth could make kissy noises while hearts spread in all of the eyes. "Aww, he must like you so much he wants to gobble you and you magician all up!"

His deck whirred and slid out a card. He grabbed it and held it up, revealing it to be Toon World. "But let's keep this safe. I activate the effect of Toon Castle Nightdread!"

"And I'll activate a quick-play spell card Encore Performance!" Sumire dramatically held out her hand and Spider Usher vanished. "By tributing a Performapal monster, I can reactivate Sky Magician's effect!"

Sky Magician twirled his rings around Magician's Left Hand to hide it from view and when he lifted it, an identical right hand was in its place. "Magician's Right Hand has got the right fingers for the job! Your spell card is negated!"

Pegasus grit his teeth as the hand snapped its fingers and the haunting carousel music of his field spell stopped. Then another snap and their surroundings just shattered into dozens of pixelated shards, dumping them back into the art room. "You'll pay for that…!"

"I do not care what the bill is, any price is enough to protect Bellerophon! I activated another continuous spell card, so Sky Magician gains three hundred more attack points." Sky Magician gained another ring amongst the ones he had. "And now he's going to use all of them to destroy Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"

Sky Magician took flight again and his rings began to glow as he spun them around. They whipped through the air, the lead ring slicing through Thousand-Eyes Restrict like it was made of soft butter. The two halves of it flailed comically to try and put itself back together, but it was too late as it exploded into dust.

"You can't beat me with that level of play! I activate the effect of Toon Bank!" Pegasus swept out a hand to indicate his spell. "It gained a counter each time I dealt damage with my Toons and now I want a return on my investment! Five hundred life points per counter!" The spell exploded, showering him with gold coins and dollar bills with Funny Bunny's face stamped on the sides. (PLP: 1500 - 5500-2400)

To his surprise, Sumire was just smiling at him. "Oh I disagree with that assertion - your level of play is childlike, so I will beat you like a child." She held up the last two cards in her hand and then swept them into her disk. "I set these cards face-down and end my turn."

Pegasus drew. "I don't know who you are, dear, but I'm afraid the gap between us is much wider than you can comprehend!" He held up a spell card. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Magician's Right Hand!"

"Sky Magician's effect!" The rings fell around the hand and lifted, revealing the left one. It snapped its fingers and Pegasus' spell blew up. "I activate Magician's Left Hand and Sky Magician's attack increases!" (3400)

"Ah, but now you've wasted that effect, which means you will not stop my next move! First, I activate Spell Economics. Now I do not have to pay life points to use my spell cards. Which means, I can play Soul Charge free of charge!" Pegasus smiled and spread his arms as orbs of light began to lift from his graveyard - three in all. "At the low cost of zero life points instead of three thousand, I revive my three Blue-Eyes Toon Dragons!"

The orbs settled in a row in front of him, each one popping to reveal the Toons mimicking the 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' statue. They held that pose, then caught each other's eyes and burst out into wild, belly-catching laughter. (3000/2500x3)

Sumire's lips thinned. "They cannot attack because they are Toons. And I know you only have one copy of Toon Castle Nightdread."

"It doesn't matter - Soul Charge means I don't have a battle phase. Though, my Dragons don't quite have the muscle to get over your Sky Magician. Hmm, what to do, what to do…" Pegasus rubbed his chin and then grabbed a card, sliding it into his disk. "I know - I'll ask the Mimicat what to do!"

The spell appeared in front of him and out popped a cartoon humanoid feline. He twisted his lengthy body around Pegasus', whispering in his ear. The older man nodded along. "Oh...yes...mm...that is just a delightful idea!" Mimicat cackled behind his hands as Pegasus clapped his hands. "Mimicat says Bellerophon has the card I want in his graveyard, so...go on over and get it for me, please?"

Mimicat stretched forwards over the prone Lero, sticking one hand into his graveyard slot. He stuck his tongue out as he rummaged around, then tugged out a card. Cackling again, he retreated to Pegasus and handed him the card before vanishing.

Sumire felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in warning. "What did you just get?"

"Why, nothing other than the source of Bellerophon's sufferings. As his father, I should ease his pain...by putting him out of it entirely!" Pegasus held the card aloft and it began to breath out flames that shot skywards to gather into a rolling sphere of fire. "I sacrifice all three of my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragons for the Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Sumire's eyes widened as the sphere grew and grew until it was a miniature sun. Then the flames scattered as it began to unfold, revealing the gleaming golden metal underneath. Wings spread and knocked down more of the ceiling, scrapped at the walls. Claws dug in the stone floor and the triumphant screeching roar kicked up a shockwave of dust and debris. (9000/6500)

Pegasus closed his eyes in thought. "Mmm...but even Ra can't attack if I have no battle phase...that _is _a problem. Unless…" He held up the last card in his hand. "I just so happen to have Mischief of the Time Goddess! Now it's my next turn's battle phase!"

Ra didn't even wait for a command, simply gathered up energy along the arch in its neck that became a roiling fireball in its mouth. The god's glare was murderous as it unleashed its attack….squarely at Bellerophon.

"Reverse card open! Farewell Performance! This card equips to Sky Magician and prevents me from taking damage when he battles! Then when he's destroyed, I can draw two cards! I give this draw to Bellerophon!" Sumire didn't even wait for the trap to finish lifting. "Sky Magician! Intercept the attack!"

The magician flew bravely in front of the oncoming fireball, his cape wings spread and his rings glowing with every ounce of his magical might. He held out longer than anyone could have expected, holding the attack back. But it was like trying to stop a fire hose with your extended palm and Sky Magician exploded.

Sumire threw herself over Lero, shoving him out of the way of the attack. The fireball hit hard, detonating and the shockwave sent them both tumbling. They slammed into a pile of rubble, Sumire first and she saw stars as her head slammed into something hard. Cracks spread everywhere across the castle's room, Ra's rage causing its power to surge and lash out, damaging everything even further. _It'll destroy the whole castle if we do not stop it!_

"Lucky, lucky…" Pegasus sang in mockery as Ra screeched in anger at being denied. "But just like the sunrise, your death is certain. But...do take your last turns. That is...if you either of you can. End turn."

Sumire clutched one hand at her head, forcing the world to righten. Then she blinked, staring at Lero sprawled across her lap and then up at the angry sun god across the field. All the knowledge she'd had a moment ago about Duel Monsters was gone and she stared at the cards blankly. Dread began to build in her, almost as fast as Ra was gathering flames again.

" 'sokay...Sumire…" Lero croaked out, his eyes open. He struggled to get up, body shaking. "I can do this…"

"Not without me." Sumire helped him stand, letting him rest his weight on her. Relief suffused her at the feel of him pressing into her. _He's okay. He's still alive..._ "I can do this, at least…"

"You've done enough. I heard your last turn. That was amazing." Lero drew for his turn. _Monster Reborn. _But nothing in his graveyard could overpower Ra. He felt what little hope Sumire's presence had kindled flicker down to an ember.

But there was something else in him, something urging him to play the card. He could see a red star gleaming in the hole in the rooftop and in his graveyard, something pulsed with life. "I activate Monster Reborn! Be revived, Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon!"

Blue light flooded in front of him, scattering as his armored monster ripped through the light with its claws.

"Bellerophon…" Sumire clutched at him tighter. "Your arm-!"

Lero looked down at his right arm. Blood was trickling down it, leaking from a scar in the detailed shape of a dragon's head. _What is this? Why doesn't it hurt?_

Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon roared suddenly, the noise echoing through the room and probably the rest of the castle. Its eyes were shining brightly and then Lero heard another roar echo back. It stirred something in his heart and suddenly, there was strength in him. Strength enough to step away from Sumire and stand on his own two feet.

And there was a...a presence in his head. Hot, fluid and bitter in a good way. _Jackie…?_

TTTTTTT

Jackie clambered back to her feet, slipping on the loose sand and pieces of herself strewn across it. Her body felt oddly light, clunky and spindly. She refused to look at herself, instead focusing on the sight of Kaiba sneering at her. "Jackass…"

"Insults like that at a time like this? The last barking of a weak piece of trash trying to get someone to care." Kaiba shook his head, his expression becoming mocking as Jackie began to cough, spewing more pieces spattering across the sand.

Jackie hugged at herself as the coughing continued and then one particularly hard cough sent a wave of white pieces crashing down. "Shit...my mask…"

Kaiba laughed as he caught on as well. "Looks like I finally broke that shell, turtle! Why don't you…" His words died in his throat as Jackie looked up at him. He went pale. "Your face...that can't be...that's not…" and then it was his turn to lurch, bile spewing over the sands.

_That's going to be the only victory I get here…making an evil ghost upchuck. _Jackie couldn't bring herself to smile. She had nothing in her hand and she was barely standing. _Hundred-Eyes isn't even standing. And even if I attack his Alter, I'll only deal a thousand damage. He'll have a hundred life points left. _

Frustration burned hot in her gut and she clenched a fist. _There has to be something - I am not letting this smug bastard get away! _

Something glinted off the pieces in the sand. Something red and soft. Jackie twisted her head, seeing the gaping hole in the ceiling and the shining crimson star through all the damage. _Where did that come from?_

There was a growl from behind her and she whirled, surprised to see Hundred-Eyes forcing itself back to stand, all of its eyes opening again. A vaporous aura floated in and out of view around, the dragon spreading its wings. And Jackie could feel its strength returning, because the same strength was flowing into her. _Did that star's light do this?  
_

She glanced down at her body, finding it whole and unmarred. At the same time, a presence echoed in her being and a voice followed.

'_The King's love has bestowed upon you the mark of the Crimson Dragon!'_

Her arm burned and Jackie stared as a searing single point of red light traced out a dragon's claw on her forearm. When it was complete, the mark shone with the same light around Hundred-Eyes Dragon had and she felt something slide through her soul. Something, warm, luscious and honeyed, spreading through her insides and warming her against the cold of the desert's wind._ Sky Horse…?_

There was no time to put further thought on it, instinct took over and the mark on her arm shone as she grabbed her for her deck. The top card began to shine with the same light. "It's my turn, I draw!"

Jackie drew, the card trailing little wisps of vaporous red light, and though she had never seen it before, and it didn't even look like a spell, trap or monster, she knew what it did. "I activate Crimson Starlight!"

The card appeared on her field, its face etched with a dragon curled in a circle, then it shattered, the pieces melting into red energy. "When I activate this card, I summon a copy of a dragon monster! And I know exactly the one I want! Come out, Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon!"

Red energy swirled around and coalesced into the gleaming armored form of Lero's monster. But Jackie had neve seen it like this before. The light in the eyes was a shining red and energy spewed from vents on the back, becoming two diaphanous, ever-flowing wings that held the light of the stars in them. (3000/2500)

Kaiba staggered from the dust as Galaxy-Eyes beat its wings and then stared down at his hand. Where the starlight touched, bits of him were flaking away to reveal inky darkness underneath. It bled out in droplets, smearing over him. "What-!?"

"Both Hundred-Eyes and Galaxy-Eyes are level eight! I open the Overlay Network!" Galaxy-Eyes became a translucent frame version of itself, sliding overtop of Hundred-Eyes and folding its wings around them to cocoon them in starry, fiery red energy. _"By the vengeful glare of my contract, my King's perils will be cast to hell! Xyz Summon! Rank 8! Hundred Galaxy-Eyes Dragon!"_

The wings snapped open, revealing her new monster. It was Hundred-Eyes, though now its body was angular and jagged, twisted spines of saw-like bone trailing down its back and topping the lashing tail in spikes. Its eyes were swirling black holes that seemed to feast on countless tiny stars, but the eyes on its head were hollow bone. Then it snapped its wings wide, revealing them to have two ever-furious eyes on their surfaces. (3000/2500)

"It's not enough…!" Kaiba ground out, clutching his damaged arm even as more of him began to peel away. His Number was already slashing her weapons, sending twin crescents of energy. "Alter negates your monster's effect!"

The blasts soared for Hundred Galaxy-Eyes, but the dragon's tail flashed and shattered them, Jackie smirking at the sight. "My new monster's effect cannot be negated! And then I expend one of my xyz material to activate its other effect! _Galaxy Corrupt!"_

Hundred Galaxy-Eyes roared and spread its wings, the two eyes flaring with dark light. Kaiba stared in horror as his monster dropped her weapons, clutching at her head and then in an explosion of light, she had become a copy of Jackie's monster. His two Material Lions followed suit. But there were no wings of light, the eyes were all shut and the monster as a whole looked weak. "What-? You made them your dragon!?"

"Hundred Galaxy-Eyes can turn all monsters on the field into it! And that lets me use its last special ability! I can copy the effect of any 'Hundred Galaxy-Eyes' on the field!" Jackie's grin bared her teeth. "So let's try that field nuke! Go!"

Her monster shone and then roared, the action kicking up a shockwave of sand and power ripped all copy monsters to pieces. "And now we get that nice attack bonus for each monster I just nuked!" (3000-6000)

"This can't be!" Kaiba was struggling, trying to keep himself from corroding, from falling over. But her dragon's light grew and grew and the inky blackness was beginning to boil, wafting away in steam. "How-?"

"Hundred Galaxy-Eyes Dragon! Attack his life points! _Strident Void!" _ The monster opened his jaw as light streamed into it, revealing there was something akin to a black-hole sucking it all in. The visibility around them dimmed until the only real visible thing was the dragon itself. Then it fired, the energy launching with the hiss and speed of a laser.

The attack enveloped Kaiba and he struggled against it, one hand desperately reaching forwards as if he could just push it back. But his fingers peeled away into the inky darkness that shredded into wisps and then the light swallowed him, his scream of defiance and everything else.

Jackie let out a long breath that she didn't realise she'd been holding, the full enormity of what had just happened suffusing through her, and turning her legs to jelly. _That was intense..._coming that close to death was nothing new to her, but this one was going to linger for a long time - she could feel it.

Over on the floor, Blackwood coughed and rolled over as the shadows began to disappear. They were in the castle kitchens. Pots and pans had been knocked off their hooks, and both duelists were standing (or sitting in Blackwood's case) on top of the stainless steel counters. Jackie winced as she realised her boots had left dusty footprints in the shiny metal. _Plato's gonna be pissed…_

"...uh how embarrassing...I haven't passed out in a duel since I was a child," Blackwood was grumbling and rubbing his face. Jackie's eyes snapped to the shattered pieces of her mask on the floor, and panic raced through her. Jumping off the counter, she seized a dish cloth and pressed it to her face. She turned to find Blackwood staring at her in confusion, and she shrugged awkwardly.

"I won't tell if you don't," she offered, looking around the room, unable to bear the curious frown he was giving her. "Come on. Let's just get out of here."

TTTTTTT

Lero could feel it, the pulse of power from Jackie and her dragon and then was in him, too. His mark spurted blood, then flared with crimson light. "Awaken, Galaxy-Eyes Cyber Dragon!"

The dragon roared in agreement, the blue light flashing and driving back the harsh glow of Ra's flames. It's armor gained glowing lines of red power that crawled for its back and in turn erupted out in diaphanous red wings filled with starlight.

Pegasus shielded his face from the light, his twisted Millenium Eye spasming in sudden pain as if it were a separate creature entirely from him. "What on earth!?"

Lero held up his arm and Galaxy-Eyes' card rippled with light, changing from the tan background of a normal monster to the orange backdrop of an effect monster. "I activate Dimension Fusion! We both summon as many banished monsters as we can at the cost of two thousand my life points!" (LLP: 2200-200)

Three portals ripped open alongside his Galaxy-Eyes, spitting out three versions of his Cyber Dragon. One was a prototype, nothing but segmented regions held together, an even smaller version that had wires trailing from it and then one with an energy frill around its neck and pulsing with red lines of power. "I summon Cyber Dragon Core, Hertz and Alsafi from out of play!"

Galaxy-Eyes' wings flared and spread to shed its light over the new monsters. "All my monsters share the ability that means they are all treated as Cyber Dragon while on the field! So that means I can use Galaxy-Eyes' own ability to turn them all into level ten monsters!"

Level stars appeared above the monsters at one, two, four and eight and then flickered, all becoming a neat row of ten. "Then I open the overlay network twice with my two pairs of level ten monsters!"

The monsters became orbs of light that swirled around and vanished into the surrounding darkness.

Pegasus waited, staring off into it expectantly. Even Ra seemed to have found some patience, its gathering flames quiet and the aura of power radiating off its body calm. "Well - where is it!?"

A clattering noise caught his ears and he looked down. Stone chips on the floor were vibrantly so hard they were scooting across the floor. The rumbling intensified, so heavy and deep now he could now feel shaking the stone and then himself.

"Sorry, but my heavy artillery has emphasis on the heavy." Lero didn't even blink as out of the darkness to either side of him erupted two gigantic cannon barrels who nearly filled the room just by themselves. The castle groaned audibly in protest under the new weight and there were distinct crashes from somewhere else inside it."My Superdreadnought Rain Cannon Gustav Max! Times two!" (3000/3000x2)

"You might as well as add two more, because they cannot compare to Ra!" Pegasus declared triumphantly.

"They don't have to!" Gears clattered and the two cannons shifted so they were aiming squarely at Pegasus. Two large clangs echoed around the room, the noise of shells being loaded. "I can detach one xyz material from my Cannons! Then they each deal you two thousand damage!"

Pegasus' eyes widened in panic. "Lero-boy, think about this…! This isn't a very good ending! Wouldn't it be more climatic to beat Ra with your magic dragon?"

"Oh, it's a very good ending! Because it's the one where you stop talking and this nightmare is _done _with!" Lero snapped out his hand. "Now get the hell out of my house! FIRE!"

Both cannons fired, rocking hard from the recoil as they fired blasts of power that slammed into Pegasus. His cry was long since drowned out by the sheer noise of the energy and Ra's flames and then they detonated. The light turned Lero's world into a sheet of white, then the shockwave hit and threw him backwards, even as he felt Sumire hang tight to him and the dull roar of stone cracking under its own weight.

Followed by the ear splitting rumble as it all began to collapse.

TTTTTTT

In the endless, horizonless mirrored void of Nitemare's domain, silence reigned.

All the duelists had their opening hands, Daniel and Reginald staring intently at Nitemare. They weren't sure if Nitemare was looking back given that its eye sockets were empty. The beings' fire cape fluttered with nary any noise at all and not even a ripple disturbed the water's mirror surface.

The seconds ticked by.

"Ah." Nitemare's head tilted a micron, as though he had just realized something. "I am to take the first turn?"

Daniel almost face-faulted while Reginald's brow twitched in an unhealthy manner. _Don't tell me he was wasting all the time figuring that out!_

"I draw for the first turn,.." Nitemare picked up the card slowly, his bone fingers looking so thin and breakable that it was a wonder they could even lift the piece of cardstock. "Then I am allowed to take actions…" He fell silent again.

The two Pros exchanged looks.

After another amount of time of indeterminate length, Nightmare moved again, his cards scraping against one another as he pulled one free. "I set one card face down." It appeared in front of him in a soft ripple of power. "That completes my turn."

Daniel was glad his many years of professional experience meant he could keep surprise under control - he'd have let his jaw drop otherwise. _He's acting like he doesn't understand the game and is just a beginner...but he could be suckering us by playing just the one card because he knows in a duel like this, none of us can attack on our first turns. _

That wasn't too uncommon a 'flex' in higher-tier dueling circuits. Most people at their level ran powerful, cohesive strategies that didn't rely on a turn of set-up to function, so then you could invest minimally on your turn and then wait for your opponents to do all their moves so you can tear them down on the next turn.

_But that only works when it's a free-for-all. When it's two-on-one - _Daniel caught Reginald's eye again and the younger man nodded once. _\- one can be the sword and the other the shield. _

They could do this, together.

And yet, Daniel couldn't help but feel that in this plane of infinite silent stillness, two was just as small as one.

TTTTTTT

_A/N: __A new power has come and destinies have been changed, but there's still one more threat to deal with. Facing two of the strongest in the world, Nitemare seems to have his hands full...but is there really such a thing as a limit for magic?_

_Next Chapter: Duel Madness! Pro Level!_


	19. Duel Madness! Pro Level!

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 19: Duel Madness! Pro Level!

_They could do this, together._

_And yet, Daniel couldn't help but feel that in this plane of infinite silent stillness, two was just as small as one._

Reginald broke the stillness, tugging a card free from his deck. "It is my move! Draw!"

He flipped a spell card around. "Dragonmaid Changeover! I fuse Chamber Dragonmaid and Dragonmaid Tinkhec together to fusion summon Dragonmaid Sheou!" A portal opened behind him, spitting out a bus-sized black elegant dragon. She looped the playing field and then landed to stand behind her, her glare focused squarely on Nitemare. (3500/2000)

A spell card appeared in front of him, glowing so that a new monster could appear. She was pale-skinned, dressed entirely black and with a low, amused smirk on as her tail rippled behind her. "Then Dragonmaid Hospitality! I revive Chamber Dragonmaid from the graveyard in defense mode and send Dragonmaid Nudyarl from the deck to the graveyard!" (500/1800)

Chamber chuckled teasingly, twirling a lock of her hair around a finger and then turned to Reginald. She produced a Duel Monsters card from her sleeve that he gratefully accepted. "And when Chamber is special summoned, I can add a Dragonmaid spell or trap to my hand! I select Dragonmaid Send-Off!"

Two cards flashed into existence behind Chamber. "Then I set these to end my turn!"

Daniel drew, but before he could speak Reginald was pointing at his own field. "During a player's Standby Phase, Sheou summons a level nine or lower Dragonmaid! Time to clock in, Tinkhhec!" A portal opened and out flew a new Dragonmaid, another black-scaled dragon that was a bit smaller than Sheou and had vibrantly red wings. (2700/1700)

Daniel's lips curled in a smirk. _Guess that makes me the shield. Fine by me, protecting others is what heroes do. _"I activate E-Emergency Call, adding Bubbleman from the deck to the hand! Then I summon him!"

The blue-armored hero appeared in front of him, crouching atop a copy of his card with arms crossed over his chest. "And when Bubbleman is summoned with no other cards on my field, I draw two cards!" (800/1200)

He snapped them up and then flipped them both around. "Polymerization! I fuse Bubbleman and Clayman together!" The hero winked out, replaced by a massive gray-bodied hero with his head and broad, round bodyparts. "Elemental Hero Mudball man in defense mode!" (1900/3000)

Just like Reginald before him, two cards flashed into existence behind his monster. "I set two cards and end my turn!"

"I draw." Nitemare did so slowly, watching as a portal opened on Reginald's field.

"During your Standby Phase, Sheou revives a Dragonmaid! Come out, Nudyarl!" Reginald smiled a bit as the new dragon emerged, blue-scaled with a frill running down her body. (2600/1600)

"I will destroy your dragons this turn." Nitemare pulled a card from his hand, revealing it to be a spell card. "One for One. I discard a monster from my hand and then I summon one whose level is one from the deck." He caught the card his deck spat out. "Ah….my spell's name is a pun….how clever…"

It was impossible to tell if he was sincere with the compliment. His voice was so flat and hollow the two Pros were left wondering if he could even feel emotions.

"The monster I choose to summon is Lyrilusc - Ruby Sunbird." Nitemare's monster was a cute, young girl dressed in a red bird costume mixed with a tan underbelly. She flapped her wings, giggling. (0/100)

A sphere of light left his deck and flew out to land alongside Ruby. With a 'pop', it revealed itself to be another young girl. She had blonde curls and her costume was tan with a white underbelly. "When Ruby is summoned and I have no other monsters, she summons another Lyrilusc from my deck. I have chosen Lyrilusc - Cobalt Sparrow." (0/100)

His deck whirred a third time and spat out a card that he tugged free. "When Cobalt Sparrow is summoned, I add another Lyrilusc from my deck to my hand. I add Lyrilusc Sapphire Swallow." He placed the card and a second one from his hand on his Duel Disk's tray. "I control a Winged-Beast monster, so Sapphire Swallow may special summon itself and Lyrilusc - Turquoise Warbler."

As before, his new monsters were girls in monster costumes, the first in a two-toned blue costume looking sleepy and the other in tan and green, busy tugging at her arm-wing's feathers curiously. (100/0x2)

A fifth monster appeared, a red-head in a rotund green bird costume. She crossed her arms and sulked, clearly unhappy with how she looked compared to the other girls. "Turquoise Warbler, when summoned, revives a Lyrilusc from the graveyard. I only have Emerald Weaver." (100/0)

_This is not good. _Daniel's instincts put him on edge at the sight of the monsters. Cute and adorable as they were, what they represented was worse. _He may not know how to play well, but he just summoned five monsters with minimal resource investment and kept his Normal Summon. And I can think of a whole host of monsters that'd love to have multiple-tributes. _

"I activate Wing Requittal. This card costs me six hundred life points." Nitemare didn't seem to notice as energy ribboned off his skeleton body. "Now during the next standby phase, I will draw cards equal to the number of Winged-Beast monsters currently in play. (NLP: 8000-7400)

A continuous spell card appeared behind his quintet of monsters. This time, both Daniel and Reginald felt their tension ratchet up a notch. The card was lacking an image, but was exuding a dangerous power. "This is the spell Nitemare Number. I select all monsters of the same type on my field, then select a level. They become that level."

All the girls looked up curiously as a level star appeared above their heads, then all of them clapped and cheered as they flickered and became five. "I select level five." Nitemare paused. "I see...this card enables me to summon my Numbers with ease. That is why it is named that. Another pun."

"Numbers?" Reginald looked like he didn't like the sound of that and Daniel didn't, either. "I'd ask what they are, but I feel as if you are about to show us."

"With Ruby Sunbird and Emerald Weaver, I open the Overlay Network." The two monsters blinked at one another, then screamed as the water erupted noiselessly up to engulf them. They struggled in a panic, but didn't even get a squawk out as it crawled over their heads. Then they were yanked under the surface. _"_I summon Number 61: Volcasaurus."

A glow appeared under the water's surface, glowing brighter and larger with each second. Then the water boiled, steam hissing free. A moment later, water geyser skywards and when it splashed back down, there was Nitemare's new monster. It was a bipedal dinosaur, squat and muscular with spikes jutting from its body that glowed with a volcano's power and magma dripping from its jaw. (2500/1000)

"I open the Overlay Network again with Turquoise Warbler and Sapphire Swallow." The girls shook their heads in denial, but that did nothing as the water flowed upwards over them and dragged them down below the surface. "I summon Number 19: Freezadon."

Ice glittered on the water's surface, a nasty creaking noise filling the air as it solidified into a large mass. The mass bobbed upwards, revealing it was just the tip of an iceberg. It floated for a moment, then a pair of eyes flashed in the depths. Cracks spread everywhere, the iceberg shattering to reveal the monster. Another bipedal dinosaur, its blue skin radiated cold and ice crawled over it to become armor while useless wings spread slowly. (2000/2500)

Cobalt Sparrow glanced between the two monsters, then seemed to catch onto the fact they needed two monsters to be summoned and she was just one. She breathed a sigh of relief...that didn't last as Nitmare grabbed a card from his hand. "I summon Star Starling Starling to the middle left monster zone." (1000/1500)

A fat, happy, colorful tropical bird appeared between Cobalt Sparrow and Volcasaurus. It trilled out a cheery song, especially when its four level stars gained one more. "When this monster is in this zone, it's level becomes five. So I open the Overlay Network with Star Starling Starling and Cobalt Sparrow for a third time."

Both monsters gave a squawk of surprise as the water snared them and dragged them down. Water churned and became a geyser. A trident sliced it apart from the inside, revealing the source of the geyser. Tall, blue-skinned merman with gold amor and a ruthless expression. Water dripped off him and his trident was wielded like an extension of his body. "Number 73: Abyss Supra Splash." (2400/1400)

Daniel felt his unease grow. His instincts were telling them there was more to these monsters than they're looks and he could see on Reginald's face that the other Pro was just as unsure in the steadfastness of their wall of monsters.

Nitemare's body creaked as it stood straighter and his cape grew, broadening with new flames. "These monsters are prisoners here….but they have power that is...good, to me. As is the power I have over them. It...satisfies. Yes, that is the word. Satisfaction."

He lifted a hand, his empty gaze regarding the two Pros with haunting emptiness. "Your presences are not satisfying. You will be removed. Now."

Volcasaurus roared, the magma on its body glowing with inner heat. "I remove one xyz material from this monster to use its abilities. One monster on your field is destroyed and you take its attack as damage. I use this on Nudyarl."

The Xyz monster roared, spewing out a stream of magma at the water dragon. But Sheou moved first, a blast of fire from her mouth halting the magma and then her body began to glow. Reginald smiled as Nitemare stared in confusion. "Don't think you can get rid of my ladies so easily! When you activate a monster effect, I can use Sheou's own ability! Your monster's effect is negated, then it's destroyed and then Sheou goes back into my Extra Deck, summoning House Dragonmaid!" (3000/2000)

The big black dragon shrank and folded itself back down into a stern-looking woman in a maid's uniform. She had kept her wings and tail, giving Volcasaurus a dismissive look and then snapped her fingers. Volcasaurus glowed, growling as it struggled against the power and then the light flew apart. "How did your monster survive?"

"The effect of Nitemare Number. My Number monsters cannot be destroyed by opposing card effects." Nitemare said and lifted skeleton fingers to point at Volcasaurus. "Your effect negation is not permanent, so I use this effect again on Nudyarl."

Volcasaurus roared and spat out another stream of magma. This time, it crashed into Nudyarl, but faded as it hit into nothing but steam while water sloughed off the dragon. Reginald just folded his arms, House Dragonmaid mimicking his posture and little smirk. "As long as I have a fusion monster on my field, you cannot destroy my Dragonmaids with your effects."

"I see. Then why would you negate Volcasaurus' first effect?" Nitemare rasped out. "Ah...destroying it is better than surviving it, so that it is not on the field for later use. A logical progression. That is something I understand."

"Then you would understand that your monster is decidedly less of a threat now, because it cannot overpower my darling ladies with its attack score and its effect cannot be used again." Reginald pointed out.

"I do. And thus, the logical progression is to ensure it can use its effect again. Thus, I activate Freezadon's effect." The ice-covered dinosaur's body reflected light for a brief moment and then there were two orbs of that light circling Volcasaurus again. "I can expend one xyz material from Freezadon to return Volcasaurus' materials to it. Then I use Volcasaurus' effect again to destroy House Dragonmaid."

Reginald braced himself as a third jet of magma launched across the field and shattered House Dragonmaid in a single touch. _He's learning way too fast -! Most of my opponents would just assume House Dragonmaid protects herself as well! _(RLP: 8000- 5000)

Volcasaurus spewed out a fourth stream of magma. "I use this effect and target Nudyarl for a third time."

"Reverse card open! Dragonmaid Downtime! I return Nudyarl to my hand and then add a Dragonmaid card from my deck to my hand!" Nudyarl breathed a sigh of relief as she winked out of sight, the magma hissing through empty air. Reginald caught the card his deck spat out and held it up. "I select Dragonmaid Hospitality."

"I use Freezadon's effect again." Nitemare watched as the ice dinosaur flashed with light and then Volcasaurus' body heated up again. "I use Volcasaurus' effect again and target Tinkhec."

The black dragon fought back, spewing out her own blazing flames. But the magma barreled through it and slammed into her, shattering her instantly. Reginald staggered as the backlash hit, droplets of magma charring tiny holes in his suit and leaving him smoldering as he dropped to a knee. (RLP: 5000- 2300)

"Reginald!" Daniel grit his teeth as the other man heaved for breath, shock written all over his face as he tried to process the intense pain. _This is a Darkness Game - the Solid Vision doesn't even compare!_

"You now have no monsters on the field. I am permitted to attack directly now." Nitemare said, almost half to himself. "Freezadon does so."

Daniel watched as the frozen dinosaur charged, glittering ice claws extending out into razor-sharpness. "You're forgetting you have more than one opponent! I activate my set card! Negate Attack!"

Freezadon slammed into an invisible barrier, skidding backwards and then roaring in frustration as its claws slashed at it uselessly. "Your attack is negated and the battle phase is over!"

"I cannot continue attacking…" Nitemare nodded in acknowledgment. "But there are other ways to damage you. I use Volcasaurus' effect again and destroy Mudballman."

Daniel swore under his breath as the magma melted his hero into a puddle of hissing rock and stung him. _His monster's power is ridiculous! Between Volcasaurus and Freezadon, he could have one-turned-killed us both! And he still hasn't used that third one's power yet! Just what are these Numbers?_ (DLP: 8000-6100)

"Hnnn…I set one card face-down to end my turn." Nitemare watched his two opponent's struggle and sounded bored. "This does not satisfy me. You are still here. I will have to destroy you on the next turn."

"Tch...you really don't understand this game or the people who play it, do you?" Reginald said as he got to his feet. Despite the fact he was still smoldering, his expression was fierce. "I'll show you the gap between us! It's my move! I draw!"

"During your Standby Phase, the effect of Wing Requittal occurs. I draw five new cards." Nitemare drew them one at a time, taking care to examine each one as he did.

"You won't get a chance to use any of them! I summon Laundry Dragonmaid!" The young maid appeared, though instead of folding her laundry, she twisted the soaking sheet up into a rat's tail and cracked it like a whip. "When I summon her, I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard!" (500/1600)

He pulled the three cards off, then shoved them into his graveyard. "It looks like I don't need my suit cleaned yet, so Laundry can take five! I can return the Dragonmaid Changeover in my graveyard to my hand by returning Laundry as well!" The maid huffed at Nitemare and winked back into her card.

Reginald grabbed another card. "Dragonmaid Hospitality! I revive Nurse Dragonmaid from my graveyard! And when I summon her, I can summon another Dragonmaid from the graveyard! Trainee Dragonmaid!" In a flash of light, the pink nurse appeared and then she grabbed a curtain, sweeping it over the field to reveal a young girl in a simple, basic black maid's outfit. (500/1600) (400/1200)

"Trainee may be only starting out, but she's got plenty of potential to be the best of professionals! And as a tuner, she's going to bring it all out!" Reginald watched as his two monsters sank into the waters they were standing on, causing nary a ripple. "Come on out, Ostiary Dragonmaid!"

The water split as a figure leapt out of it, a tall woman with a monocle and clad in a doorman's uniform. She fixed Nitemare's monsters with an annoyed scowl and rapped a riding crop into her palm. (2000/2000)

"When Ostiary is summoned, I can revive another Dragonmaid! Return to duty, Tinkhec!" Ostiary snapped her fingers and a door popped into existence next to her. She bowed and then opened the door, letting the red-and-black dragon charge through. (2800)

Laundry and Nudyarl appeared above him, being pulled into a swirling portal. "And I'm not done! Dragonmaid Changeover fuses Laundry and Nudyarl into Dragonmaid Sheou once more!" The portal rippled and then flew apart as the massive, black-skinned dragon reappeared. (3500)

"You have rebuilt your forces so easily." Nitemare said as all of the dragons and women growled at him. "My Numbers, however, will not fall to them. You cannot defeat them in battle."

"A thing like that is not even an obstacle to a professional duelist! I enter the battle phase and Ostiary transform into Dragonmaid Yositra!" The doorwoman glowed, transforming into a serpentine, broad-winged golden and white dragon. (2800/2400)

Yositra lifted herself up, light spilling out from her wings and gathering in her mouth. "Yositra attacks Abyss Splash! _Radiant Splash!"_

"I activate Abyss Splash's effect." Nitemare watched a sphere of light enter his monster's trident and Abyss Splash twirled it to gather a whirlpool of water around him. "I double his attack when he battles."

"I told you - not even an obstacle!" Reginald smiled as Yostira's light spilled onto Nitemare's monsters, causing all three to roar in sudden pain and shy away in desperation. "When Yositra battles, I negate monster effects for this turn up to the number of Dragonmaids I have in play!"

The water behind Nitemare rippled as Yostira's attack slashed through Abyss Splash and the skeleton staggered, his cape shedding embers. "Nnnn…." (NLP: 7400-7000)

"Tinkhec attacks Freezadon! _Steam Flames!" _The black dragon snarled and spewed out a stream of black-and-red fire. Freezadon drew up a wall of ice, but it rapidly melted under the onslaught and then it melted Freezadon itself. The last bits of the monster sank beneath the water. (NLP: 7000 - 6200)

"Sheou destroys Volcasaurus!_ Cleansing Flames!_" There was nothing fancy here - just a barrage of fireballs that slammed into Volcasaurus and tore it to melting pieces. And like all before them, they just sank below the water's surface silently. (NLP: 6200-5200)

Nitemare didn't seem bothered by the loss of his monsters as he lifted a hand and one of his set cards flipped up. "I activate Mirage Ruler. This will return my field to the way it was before your monsters attacked."

"Useless! Sheou!" The fusion dragon roared, the shockwave shattering the trap and she transformed back into her humanoid form. "I can negate more than just destruction!" (3000)

Reginald held up a card. "Dragonmaid Charity! I have three high level Dragonmaids in the field, so I draw two more cards!" He snapped them up and then slid one into his disk. House Dragonmaid held out her arms and a massive, draconic-themed shield appeared in grasp. Despite its sheer size, she didn't struggle under its weight. "I equip her with Dragon Shield! This card prevents you from destroying her, so now all my dragons are safe! One card face-down ends my turn!"

"Heh. With that kind of turn, I'm going to feel hard-pressed to follow up…" Daniel grinned as he drew for his turn."But I'll give it a go anyway!"

"During Daniel's Standby Phase, I use House Dragonmaid's effect to revive Ernus from my graveyard!" Reginald pointed and the pale-colored, motherly looking dragon rippled into existence. (2600)

"Pot of Greed, I draw twice! " Daniel drew two more cards and then held one up. "Fake Hero! I summon an E-Hero from my hand! E-Hero Necroshade!" Darkness pooled in front of him under the water's surface and then out leapt a jagged, fiendish hero who folded his arms and glared at Nitemare. "Heh, guess he doesn't like undead monsters…" (1600/1900)

"It is a card. I do not care about it's supposed feelings."

"Of course you wouldn't. But you'll care about this - the spell card Necro Contract! This spell can only be used if I have Necroshade! I tribute him and then banish an E-Hero fusion from the graveyard, then summon its components! Return, Bubbleman, Clayman!" Daniel grinned as Necroshade vanished and Bubbleman and Clayman leapt out of the water, ready to fight.

Necroshade's image appeared on the water's surface. "When Necroface is in the graveyard, I can get another normal summon of a high level E-Hero! Come out, Elemental Hero Gravity Nexus!" The new hero was tall, lantern-jawed and golden. He was also a robot, his chest decorated with a hollowed-out atomic symbol that rotated through all six elemental colors. (2500/2200)

"And my final spell card! Hero Team Jet! I summon two normal E-Heroes from the deck! Avian! Burstintrix!" Daniel slapped down the cards and the winged-hero swooped into play while Burstinatrix appeared in a burst of raw flames. (1000/1000) (1200/700)

Gravity Nexus' chest began to shine sharply, all of the color lighting up. "Gravity Nexus gains an effect depending on the attribute of each hero I have in play! Since I have all of them but dark, then your card effects can't even touch my heroes!" Daniel punished his fist forwards, then heroes tensing in anticipation of his command. "Attack! Full Hero Assault!"

Avian hit first, a single flap of his wings sending a barrage of feathers to slice into the Nitemare's bony body and cape. Then Burstinatrix' hands ignited and a pillar of fire erupted underneath him. When it cleared, a high-powered jet of water from Bubbleman slammed into him and sent him skidding backwards. Cracks spread across his bones as the rapid heating and cooling stressed them beyond their limits.

Then Clayman's shoulder charge sent flecks of that dark bone and scattered the cape into embers. Nitemare went skidding again, his body swaying awkwardly before he dropped to his knees. Fingertips scrapped the water's surface blindly, leaving ripples in their way and only highlighting he cast no reflection.

A golden glow caused him to lift his head, Gravity Nexus's chest being the source of that light. It was brighter and brighter, the hero cupping it between his hands. Nitemare watched it roar towards him a second later, an expanding sphere of power. "Nnnnn…"

Then it hit, swallowing up his world and Daniel held his breath as it cleared. The skeleton swayed like a bad prop, teetering on his knees as miasma spiraled out in little wisp from the cracks across his skeleton. _I got him -!_

(NLP: 0)

TTTTTTT

Yoshito was no stranger to magic. Ironwrought Industries was pioneering the field of magical-based and anti-magic weaponry and he had spent a not inconsiderable amount of time pouring over, scanning, sampling and testing everything from ouija boards to haunted cameras. Most, proving useless, had been satisfactorily destroyed on the firing range.

And yet, with all the experience, he was still stunned by the contents of the Pegasus vault. A pyramid made of glass set with a red stone. Golden trinkets with the Eye of Horus and stones sealed in an unbreakable case that pulsed with ominous light. "I've heard rumors and stories about these things...but to think they actually existed and Pegasus just collected them…!"

"_The man traveled the world and learned many of its secret histories. But learning a secret means you can never unlearn it and the same lesson repeats itself over and over in those histories. These things are dangerous." _His sponsor drawled. _"Which is why I want them. There should be two large carrying cases near the door. Use them."_

Yoshito turned and saw, somehow unharmed by the Vault's door twisting into a modern art project, were two titanium cases. He grabbed them, grunting a bit at their weight and then carried them over to where the objects were. "How are you seeing into this place?"

"_Like I said, you don't want to learn a secret without being able to bear not being unable to unlearn it." _The voice warned him. _"Now hurry."_

Yoshito grit his teeth at being addressed like a grocery bagger stocking some impatient customer's order, but he vented his frustration on the cases. The suitcases smashed through them easily and he began to grab the items and stuff them into one.

The castle shook violently and he staggered as the room suddenly spun so the floor was a wall. One of the cases went crashing out of sight and he hooked an arm around a podium to keep himself from the same fate. "Shit! What the hell is happening now!?"

"_Odd. There is no reason for the castle to twist here - there isn't a duel." _The voice said, then there was a pause. _"Tch. Looks like that half-baked monster was weaker than I thought. It's been defeated and now what it did to the island is undoing itself."_

"Well, now what! I lost one of the cases and if this place goes back to normal, I'll be stuck in the Vault!" Yoshito snapped.

"_Get the items and then leave. I will buy time."_

"Buy time-" Yoshito said in disbelief. "But you're not even here!"

_"My reach is long. And if the castle needs to stay twisted for you do what you need to, so it will stay twisted." _

TTTTTTT

Daniel swore as Nitemare's skeleton suddenly stopped teetering and then clambered to its feet, heedless of the energy still ribboning out of its damage.

"What now? We defeated him! His life points are at zero!" Reginald clenched a fist in frustration. "I know enough about these things that that should end this madness!"

The skeleton chuckled, the flat tones replaced by something cultured and smooth. "You can consider this a bonus round, gentlemen. You beat the final boss so easily, so of course there's something bigger in the wings!" (NLP: 0 - 8000)

Daniel bared his lips in a snarl, revealing pointed canines. "Sounds more like you're just hijacking the show, puppeting things from a distance because you're afraid to show your face!"

"Heh. I should have known you'd figure it out quickly, Mister Pilkington. You have a great deal of experience in situations like this. And haven't you ever heard - after crisis, opportunity?" Nitemare flexed a hand, the bones clacking together. "I'm just taking advantage of this particular crisis."

"So do you come with a new name along with your new personality?" Reginald scoffed. "Or should we address you just as 'Opportunist'?"

"We can go with Nitemare. I have no reason to reveal anything to you two, just to duel you. And you cannot refuse." Nitemare pointed out across the playing field. "Case in point, this Shadow Game treats me as an acceptable stand-in. The playing field is still here."

The two Pros exchanged looks and then squared off against Nitemare again. "Then you're starting with a serious disadvantage, so let's keep it that way!" Daniel held up the last card in his hand. "Heroic Pose! I have five heroes, I draw five more cards!"

Plucking them free one by one, he grabbed two and swept them into his disk. "I set these two face-down and end my turn!"

"I draw." Nitemare did so and watched as House Dragonmaid snapped her fingers, the green-scaled and tufted form of Dragonmaid Lopar flapping free of the water to glare at him. "Hnn...another pretty dragon…"

He grabbed a card from his hand and held it up. "I activate Numbers Addition! I summon all Number monsters in my graveyard, but in exchange I cannot summon anything but Numbers this round!"

Shadows appeared on the water's surface and then his three Numbers exploded out of it, all of them roaring and looking eager to get revenge for being destroyed.

"Tch…leave it to bad guys to pull a move like that." Daniel said with a grimace. "And now you do something new and fancy with them, just because you can."

"That experience is paying off, Mister Pilkington, how observant." Nitemare flipped three cards around at once, revealing they were all identical. "I target all of my Numbers with Rank-Up Magic - Nitemare Force! This card ranks them up and then equips itself to the new monster!"

The monster's shadows all tore free of the water's surface and smothered their owners. The Numbers struggled, but the shadows tore into them like knives and let miasma smoke free. That miasma layered itself around them like bandages, cocooning them into black hearts that pulsed slowly in eerie unison.

Daniel and his heroes all tensed, raising their guards, instincts warning them that whatever was inside the cocoons was going to attack the moment it got out.

House Dragonmaid stepped in front of Reginald, holding her shield out in front of her while Lopar, Tinkhec, Yositra and Ernus coiled around him to become a bulwark of scales, wings and fangs.

"_Tidal forces surge in wrath and battle! Become the tempest that drowns the world anew! Rank-Up Xyz Summon!" _A trident ripped the first cocoon apart, revealing the evolved Abyss Splash. His new heavier armor was covered in red spheres of power, while two sets of wings angled up and down in u-patterns. _"Number C73: Abyss Supra Splash!" (3000/2000)_

"_Born in an age of ice and snow, carry that eternal winter into the future! When all is frosted in death, you will feast! Rank-up Xyz Summon!_" The cocoon stopped beating as it was covered in a layer of thick ice. A roar from inside shattered, revealing Freezadon. It was bigger, bulkier and the ice on its body was layered like scaled-armor, jagged saw-like icicles erupting everywhere on it. The only color on it besides deathly blue and clear ice was the red fury in its eyes. _"Number C19: Glacial Freezadon!" _(2400/2500)

"_The planet was born in fire and it will die in fires of your fury! The very lifeblood of the Earth is in your veins, so consume endlessly! Rank-Up Xyz Summon!" _The last cocoon just melted away, revealing Volcasaurus. It was more living volcano than a dinosaur, its body ever-shifting, burbling magma with the only constants being its angry eyes, obsidian teeth and claws. _"Number C61: Volcasaurus Rexmagma!" _(2800/2000)

Nitemare pointed at Rexmagma, whose rumbling growl began to build in intensity. "Because I have Nitemare Force equipped to my monsters, I do not have to expend a material to activate Rexmagma's ability! I destroy all of your monsters and deal five hundred damage for each! _Volcanic Eruption!" _

Rexmagma's growl built up into a dull rumble and then it threw back its head, roaring as magma spheres erupted out of its body violently. Both Pros shielded themselves as the barrage slammed into their monsters, kicking up geysers of superheated steam and smoke that hid everything on their fields but their cries of pain.

Reginald's dragons appeared first, beating their wings to scatter it. They were covered in burns and ash, but all of them still glared furiously at Nitemare. Reginald himself was dusting the burns off his suit, grimacing. "My Dragonmaids cannot be destroyed while I have a fusion monster and Dragon Shield protects House Dragonmaid!"

Nitemare made an annoyed noise, glancing over at Daniel's field as the smoke cleared. His heroes were grouped together defensively, Gravity Nexus in front with his arms spread. A golden barrier enclose them all, not so much as denting as the last bits of molten rock thudded off. "They survived, too?"

"Gravity Nexus' ability. When I have a wind-attribute E-Hero in play, all of my heroes survive effect destruction!" Daniel pinched out a bit of his smoldering hair and folded his arms. "It doesn't matter who you are - you're still facing two professional duelists!"

"Professional in your world, yes. But you're not in your world anymore, gentlemen! You're in mine!" Nitemare snapped his fingers, the bony noise cracking like a gunshot across the infinity surrounding them. "Rexmagma attacks Dragonmaid Lopar! _Molten Breath!"_

Reginald watched as the volcano dinosaur gathered up its body, tensing before spewing a wave of magma at his dragon. "Don't think you can defeat me that way, either! I discard a Dragonmaid Tinkhec from my hand! Lopar's attack is boosted by two thousand points!" He shoved the card into his graveyard and his dragon spread her wings, power surging around her. (2700-4700)

"Then I use Supra Splash's effect! When a monster I have battles, I can power it up by your monster's effect! _Over Limit!_" Supra Splash raised his trident, a heavy blue glow surrounding him and Rexmagma. The dinosaur arced its head and the magma stream increased in power. (2800-5500)

Nitemare's teeth clacked in amusement as Reginald didn't so much as flinch at the increased power. "You're thinking you'll survive the damage. But you won't - Glacial Freezadon's effect! I copy Supra Splash's effect!" The frozen dinosaur glowed like Supra Splash and Rexmagma's attack doubled in size again, now a sheer tidal wave of superheated rock. (5500-10,200)

Daniel felt a lot of things as he watched the attack slam into Reginald with the force of a speeding train. But most of all, he felt respect, for the other pro duelist was silent through the onslaught, collapsing in a smoking, lifeless, but ultimately screamless heap. Respect and admiration welled up inside him, and Daniel tore his eyes away to face his opponent. _I will not lose._

There was a sharp ding as Reginald's life points hit zero but the infinite void swallowed even that. (RLP: 0)

Nitemare turned to regard Daniel, lifting a hand. "Supra Splash attacks Gravity Nexus and this time, I expend Supra Splash and Glacial Freezadon's overlay units to add his attack to Splash's twice over!" The two monsters seized the orbiting spheres of light and crushed them, suffusing them both with a dark blue glow. Supra Splash twirled his trident dramatically, gathering up a torrent of water that he sent arcing towards Gravity Nexus. (3000-5500-8000)

"Reverse card open!" Daniel tapped a button on his disk and one of his cards flipped up. "Mirror Gate! My hero and your monster switch sides and then the battle continues!"

"No, I am ready for that!" Nitemare held up a spell card and Daniel's trap was pierced by a single, massive fang that shattered it. "Shark Spark negates your trap!"

"Chain! Stand Down!" Daniel grit his teeth as all five of his heroes dropped to their knees at the last second, Gravity Nexus catching the water square in the chest. He went skidding backwards, but remained defiantly on the field. "All my heroes go to defense mode and thanks to being a light-attribute, Gravity Nexus cannot die in battle per round!"

"But I have two monsters! Glacial Freezadon!" Nitemare watched as his dinosaur stomped forwards and clawed the robotic hero apart with a few heavy slashes. The golden pieces of him sank beneath the water. "I set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"I'm not done yet, not by a long shot! Draw!" Daniel drew. "Polymerization! I fuse Avian on the field and Sparkman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Jolt Turbine!" His two monsters leapt together, resulting in a green-suited Sparkman with rigid metal wings, already readying his two energy blasters. "And this card negates monsters equal to the number of heroes I have! _Lightning Punish!_" (1900/1700)

Jolt Turbine fired three shots into Nitemare's monsters, all of them sparking violently with electricity and sagging as their colors drained away. Daniel was already grabbing his next card. "Now I play Miracle Fusion! I banish Bubbleman on the field and Avian in the graveyard to fusion summon Great Tornado!"

Wind whipped around in a cyclone in front of him, dying away to reveal a tall man in black-and-yellow, a tattered duster flapping off his lanky body. "And when he's summoned, all of your monsters stats are halved! _Tornado Halver!" _(2800/2000)

The hero stretched out his hands and the green wind lashed out from his body, whipping across the Numbers and leaving them staggering from fresh wounds. (2800-1400) (3000-1500) (2400-1200)

_Have to keep the pressure up! _Daniel grabbed another card from his hand. "Double Summon! With two normal summons this turn, I tribute Burstinatrix for Jinzo and then summon Wolf Demon Soldier!" The flame hero vanished, replaced by the coldly chuckling cyborg while a burly wolf-man in armor and wielding a double-ended spear appeared with a howl. (2400/1500) (1400/1200)

"Battle Phase! Jolt Turbine attacks Supra Splash! _Thunder Shot!" _Jolt Turnbine's fanjets whirred, generating current to his blasters and he squeezed the triggers, two combined streams of electricity punching through Supa Splash like he was paper and shattering him. (NLP: 8000- 7600)

"Tornado attacks Glacial Freezadon! _Tornado Shaper!" _The hero held up his arms, cyclones forming around his limbs and then tearing towards the ice dinosaur. The howling gusts hid the Xyz monster from view and there was a shattering noise with in. Then they cleared to reveal only ice cubes. (NLP: 7600 -6200)

"Wolf Demon Soldier attacks Rexmagma! _Howling Lance!_" Living up the name, the soldier howled as it leapt for the dinosaur. It drove its weapon into the magma body, twisting to shove it deeper. But Rexmagma managed to rear up and bite off his head, both monsters bursting into pixels before blood could erupt from the stump. "And when Wolf Demon Soldier dies in battle, he calls out Wolf Demon Lord from my deck!"

A fresh howl sounded as a new warrior appeared in front of Daniel, a massive wolfman taller than his master and covered in armor. In one hand, he held a katana that was wreathed in purple-black flames. (2400/1000)

"Now all my monsters attack you directly! _Clay Charge! Cyber Energy Shock! Howling Sword Nova_!"

Nitemae went staggering as Clayman bodychecked him again, then Jinzo's blast of energy ripped into him further and slivers of bones went spiraling off to vanish into either. Wolf Demon Lord raised his flaming weapon, gathering more power into it and slashed it down, the attack splitting the water's surface and shearing into Nitemare's body. (NLP: 6200-5400-3000-600)

Daniel watched as most of Nitemare's ribcage fell away, along with hunks of his pelvis and a good portion of his skull. Where the bone had been was only vaporous energy that was spreading rapidly. "Looks like that borrowed body of yours isn't going to take much more punishment!"

"Nitemare is a weakling, a baby throwing a magical temper tantrum and this constructed body is expendable." Nitemare pointed out, clearly unbothered by the severe damage he had taken. "Yours, however...well...let's see what one good hit does to you. I draw!"

He pulled the card free and flipped it around. "Monster Reborn revives Ruby Sunbird!" In a flash of light, the costumed little girl reappeared in a dramatic pose.

Daniel's eyes widened as he saw the monster. "Oh no!"

"Yes - you saw this already, so I won't explain the combo. But it does end up with me having Cobalt Sparrow, Sapphire Sparrow, Turquoise Warbler and Emerald Weaver on my field." Nitemare placed the cards onto his disk one after the other, the costumed girls all taking poses as they appeared. "Now I use the effect of Nightmare Number and turn them all into level four monsters!"

Their level stars appeared above them and the girls all panicked as they saw them go from one each to four above their hands. But it did them little good as they were pulled beneath the water once more. _"The crack of thunder your roar, the flash of the bolt your wings, the lightning your body! Crash down and devastate! Number 91: Thunder Spark Dragon!" _

Lighting roiled and flashed underneath the water's surface soundlessly, illuminating nothing but inky, endless darkness below the two duelists. With a horrendous explosive roar, a serpentine shape exploded up behind Nitemare. It was massively long, a dragon crafted out of sheer lightning and wrapped in sparking bolts of raw power. Even its eye were red, crackling sparking bolts. (2400/2000)

"I activate Thunder Spark Dragon's effect! By consuming all five xyz material it has, it can destroy all cards you control! _St. Elmos' Fire!" _The dragon roared as five lightning bolts arch into it from nowhere and then it reared back to spew a carpet of electrical green fire that skipped across the water erratically.

"Quick-play spell activate! Residual Reflection! I banish Wolf Demon Soldier and Burstinatrix! All of my life point damage is zero this turn!" Daniel braced himself as the flames crashed into his field, shattering his remaining set cards along with Jinzo and Wolf Demon Lord. Great Tornado, Clayman and Jolt Turbine remained, though they were looking worse for wear. "By removing Jolt Turbine's counties, he can protect my heroes once each!"

"But without Jinzo, I'm free to use my trap cards again! Such as Xyz Rebirth! This revives a Xyz Monster and become a material!" Nitemare snapped his fingers and Freezadon appeared in front of him, turtling up defensively. "I expend Freezadon's material to give Thunder Spark Dragon all five of its own back!"

Thunder Spark Dragon roared again as three bolts of lightning struck it. "By removing three material, it can destroy all of your monster's! _St. Elmo's Fire!" _

The carpet of sparking flames roared over the field again, all three of Daniel's heroes exploding in unison and the backlash shoving him back a yard. He grit his teeth, but the determined expression wavered as he saw Thunder Spark Dragon gathering up lightning in its jaw. "But I won't take damage this turn!"

"Life point damage, you mean! Physical damage is still on the table, Mister Pilktingon!" Nitemare corrected as his monster fired a massive bolt of lightning that caught the Pro square in the chest. It hurtled Daniel off his feet for a dozen yards and left him limp on the water's surface. Acrid smoke curled from his chest and the remnants of his shirt.

Daniel stared up at the mirrored void, coughing and spluttering and somehow found it in him to move. Everything ached and tingled to the point of numbness, but it all still moved how he wanted it to and that was enough. He got to his feet, forcing his legs one step after the other to return to his spot. "Cheap shot…"

"You are an impressive specimen. Most humans would have been down for the count with a hit like that." Nitemare said. He sounded genuinely impressed, but also annoyed. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."

"D-draw…" Daniel pinched the card in numb fingers and pulled it free, his lips lifting in a little smirk at what he saw. "I p-play...Overload F-fusion…"

"Overload?" Nitemare asked. "That's for machine monsters, not heroes…"

"I fuse Jinzo and Wolf Demon General in the graveyard…come out…" Daniel's grin spread a bit more as an electronic howl echoed over the plane. "Steel Wolf General…!"

A figure crashed down in front of him, rising slowly to reveal it was Wolf Demon General in Jinzo's armor, every razor edge covered in the cyber-punk green metal and his sword dancing with circuit lines as the edge sizzled with superhot plasma. (3400/2000)

"Steel Wolf General...negates monster effects when it battles and...prevents traps…" Daniel pointed at Thunder Spark Dragon. "_Howling Cyber Nova!" _

The fusion charged for Nitemare's monster, drawing his blade back to strike as it began to shine with energy. Nitemare pointed at one of his set cards. "I have a quick-play card as well! Rank-Up Magic Escape Force! Your attack is negated and I rank-up Thunder Spark Dragon!"

The dragon roared in hunger as lightning began to strike it over and over again, empowering its body larger and turning the sizzling blue light to humming gold while black bands of power coiled over its length. "Number C91: Thunder Spark Roaring Dragon!" (2400/2000)

Daniel's smile didn't fade despite his attack being stopped. _Steel Wolf General is still stronger and even if he destroys it, I can summon Wolf Demon Lord back from the banished pile. And when Wolf Demon Lord is destroyed, I don't take damage for the rest of the round. _"Turn end."

"Draw." Nightmare picked the card up, scarcely glancing at it. "I activate the effect of Thunderspark Roaring DRagon! I remove one material and banish one card in play! _Thunder Removal!_"

Daniel paled as a bolt of lightning lanced down and struck Steel Wolf General. When it cleared, the only thing left was the monster's smoking footprints.

"Direct attack! _Thunder Breath!_" Nitemare watched as another bolt of lightning caught Daniel in the chest and blew him off his feet, sending him caroming across the water's surface before sliding to a halt in a heap.

(DLP: 0)

"That was mildly entertaining." Nitemare mused, examining his damaged body. It was crumbling now, melting to smoke that trailed off him in so many thin plumes he was like a walking forest fire. "I hope it took long enough…"

"You make it sound like you're leaving. And that just cannot happen."

Nitemare turned away, bony frame rattling as he jumped in surprise at the teal-haired man dusting off his periwinkle suit and straightening his tie. A single orb of teal light floated near his head. "_You!" _

"Mmm?" Plato cocked his head in polite curiosity. "You say that with such venom. Have we met?"

Rage seemed to transcend Nitemare's feeble body. "After all these years...the universe delivers you to me. And I will take back everything you stole."

"Whatever you feel I did or that you need is irrelevant. These happenings have put the young master in danger. And that will not be tolerated." Plato informed him, raising his Duel Disk.

"I suppose it's not worth the time to tell you I'm just borrowing this spectre's body, but it'll suffice." Nitemare drew himself up, spine creaking in protest as it struggled to do its job with a large portion of it missing. "You are going to die here."

"I think not - I still have dinner to prepare for the young master and his coterie of friends." Plato drew his opening hand and didn't even blink as energy crackled over him to sap away his life points. "Ah, a handicap for you. Consider it the only thing you'll be getting from me." (PLP: 8000- 4000)

"It's still my turn and I just attacked." Nitemare held up a spell. "Sebeke's Blessings gives me life points equal to the damage inflicted on that Pro Duelist." (NLP: 600-3000)

He slid one of his remaining cards into his disk. "Then I set this and end my turn. Now hurry so I can destroy you."

Plato drew, watching as Thunder Spark Roaring Dagon screeched angrily at him. "Tsh...looks like that aberration and his minions got into the Vault and got the Numbers. I told Master Pegasus they needed stronger protections than those cases, even if they are 'indestructible'."

His field slot slid open and he placed a card into it. "I activate the field spell Catalyst Field." Beneath his feet, the water went from mirror-like to a medley of swirling blues, oranges and red spinning in and out of each other only to combine again. "Then I play Take Over 5, sending the top five cards of my deck to the graveyard."

Pulling the stack off his deck, he examined them for a moment and then shoved them all into his graveyard. "Excellent. I normal summon Chemicritter Hydron Hawk." With a screech, a hawk fluttered down onto his field. It's body was made entirely out of various crystals of blue and white. (1400/700)

The hawk began to glow with energy as Plato pushed another card into his disk. "Then I equip Hydron Hawk with the spell Supervise. This turns my Gemini monster's effect on and thus, I discard one card from hand to summon Chemicritter Oxy Ox." Green air gathered together, becoming a bull with flaming horns. (0/2100)

The bull snorted and stomped its hoof, sending a ripple of motion across the psychedelic water's surface. "Catalyst Field lets me normal summon again and now my Gemini monster has his effect. Which lets me summon a Gemini monster from my hand. Come out, Sanga of the Thunder!"

Lighting struck his field, but didn't dissipate. Instead, it was pulled into a Chinese symbol that in turn spawned energy that took shape; an upper torso of bronzed gold and dark red pauldrons and gauntlets covered clawed hands. (2600/2200)

Plato smiled as his monster's level stars appeared above their heads and his two Chemicritters gained them until all three monsters has seven. "The monster summoned by Oxy Ox gives its level to all other Geminis on the field. So now I overlay my three level monsters!"

The Geminis broke apart into their respective elements, twisting and twining together so they pillared upwards into a massive mess of energy. _"Meld your powers in eternal light and show my foe your unstoppable might. He is pain beyond description and he'll mark the graves with your inscription! Xyz Summon!" _

The mass spread out into a vague humanoid figure, Sanga's form making up the top and composed of crackling golden lighting. The middle torso was gaseous wind of various greens and the legs were twirling currents of water. "_Threshold Keeper!" _(3000/3000)

Nitemare regarded the monster, his skull expressionless. But his fingers clenched into fists. "I have business with you as well, Guardian…"

"As my Keeper has monsters that are wind, water and light as material, all of his effects unlock! Which means he can attack three times this turn!" Plato thrust out his hand. _"Hurricane Blow!"_

Three orbs of light swirled in front of the monster and became a single sparking, water bolt that launched across the field and plowed into Thunder Spark Roaring Dragon. The lightning monster roared in pain, shoved back along the field, but didn't shatter. Nitemare braced himself against the damage as it ripped out of his remaining ribs. "My monster is a Number - you cannot defeat it in battle!" (NLP: 3000-2400)

"Yes, yes, I am quite aware how 'invincible' a Number is. I heard all about it when we went around and caught the things. Not like that really helps them, does it?" Plato shook his head dismissively. "Now then - I attack twice more! _Hurricane Blow!" _

The next two attacks slammed into the Number, both monster and master writhing in pain from the force of them. (NLP: 2400-1800-1200)

"There. A good start to your bad end, I'd say." Plato said in some satisfaction. "End turn."

"You can't think that will be enough to stop me." Nitemare rasped as he drew. "I activate the effect of Thunder Spark Roaring Dragon! Your Keeper is banished!"

"Is it?" Plato said with an eyebrow raise as lighting roared out of the sky. But Threshold Keeper lifted a hand, the blast being pulled into it harmlessly. "My monster can negate a targeting effect on it once for each material it has."

Nitemare growled in frustration. "I equip my monster with Overlay Surge, increasing its attack by six hundred for each overlay unit it has and there are two!" His monster flashed with new power. "Attack Threshold Keeper! _Thunder Breath!" _(2400-3600)

"Just as ineffective." Plato said as Threshold Keeper held out hand again, generating a small barricade of wind that sent the Number's attack scattering off in all directions. "My monster negates an attack once for each material it has."

"Your defenses cannot stop me forever - that monster has a weakness and I am going to destroy it and you!" Nitemare promised. "End turn!"

"I draw." Plato drew. "I banish Take Over 5 from my graveyard to draw once more." He did so. "I equip my monster with Xyz Unit. This gives it attack equal to its rank of seven times two hundred." Threshold Guardian glowed, the elements of its body stirring more wildly. (3000-4400)

"Now my monster attacks! _Hurricane Blow!" _Plato commanded and Threshold Guardian gathered its elements, firing the conjoined blasts at the Number.

"Reverse card open! Numeral Superiority! This card activates when you attack a Number! Your monster loses its xyz material and they're given to my monster!" Nitemare said in quiet triumph as his monster reared up, lightning lashing out wildly from it. "And without its materials, your monster cannot use any of its effects!" (3600-4400-5000-5600)

Plato grabbed a card from his hand. "But it still counts as 'Gate Guardian' and so I can activate Tempest Surge! This card forces your monster to battle at its original attack score!"

"What? No-!" Nitemare could only stare as the bottom half of Threshold Guardian speed out a tidal wave that enveloped his Thunder Spark Roaring Dragon. Then the top half fired a burst of electricity into it. Despite being made of lightning, his monster roared in agony and convulsed in that agony before exploding.

The electrified water crashed over him, the skeleton body snapping and breaking from the weight even as he struggled against it. "This is not the end." Another lumbering step as his fingers reached for Plato. "Now I know that you are alive, I will not rest. I will not be stopped. You and everyone around you - will suffer as I have -!" (NLP: 0)

Plato was just silent as the skeleton's bones vanished under the water and the attack sank away into the mirrored water blow. Swallowed up into the infinite void.

For a long moment, silence reigned and then with an almost anti-climatic pop, the infinite plane just vanished. Plato was standing in a broad stone cavern, Reginald and Daniel sprawled out next to him. He knelt and checked their vitals, breathing out a quiet sigh of relief at finding them both still strong. "Thank goodness."

He rose and turned to face the cavern's only other feature - a twisting, writhing mass of black forms. Vaguely human, they melded and separated and fused and melted and were born again in a ceaseless dance a few feet above the ground. The air around it was thick and cold as Plato approached and the manservant could feel the sheer pain and frustration emanating from them.

"So Master Pegasus' shenanigans have finally caught up to us, it seems. Looks like you woke up and were never supposed to." Plato said in quiet sympathy. "You only did what you thought was right to fix the problem and it was only bad luck that we crossed paths as we did."

He caught the teal stone that had been drifting behind him and held it up to the rotating sphere of darkness. The light flared brightly and the shadows calmed, their angry motions slowly and becoming less graceful, more languid. "You were a bad guest, but we were less than gracious hosts, 'Nitemare'. So let's just call it even and put you back to sleep."

Then he began to speak, in a language that modern scholars would call dead, but Plato knew as well as the back of his own hand. And as he spoke, the teal light soaked into the cavern. The air warmed and the circling souls slowed even further.

Plato knew the clean-up was going to be horrid after all this, but he also knew the best approach to such messes.

One step at a time.

TTTTTTT

_A/N: One more chapter to go as everyone takes a breather and picks up the pieces from where they fell and what it all means for the future! Final Chapter: Threads of Mystery!_


	20. Threads of Mystery

Heirs of Fate  
By 7th Librarian

Chapter 20: Threads of Mystery

"You are all terrible people."

The Industrial Illusions Board of Directors did not so much as blink at Sumire's blunt comment, even though it had been the first thing that had been said the moment they'd all joined this group call. Some of them were a bit bleary-eyed, with Jonathan Sinnoh wearing embroidered pajamas. But Azure Kanto still looked ruthlessly sharp in her robe.

Not too surprising, since she'd only just called this meeting half an hour ago. It was a petty power move, forcing them to come to her on such short notice. But she wanted every advantage possible and Sumire really did not want to waste anymore time on them than she had to.

"You have not only attempted to sell off I2 piecemeal, but went along with the Japanese government and Ironwrought Industries' open attempt to make a very hostile takeover of this company. You completely abused the power entrusted to you and betrayed the Pegasus family for nothing more than money." Sumire said briskly, pausing only for a moment. "As of this moment, your services will no longer be required. You are fired."

All of their mouths opened to protest and argue, but she overrode. "This is not up for debate or argument. I am married to Bellerophon and I am the eldest Pegasus at twenty-one. I own Industrial Illusions. I have made my decision and I do not need to explain anything to you."

She steepled her fingers together, eyes hard. "All of your accounts, permissions and access to company resources have been removed. An email has been sent with your exit contracts. Once you sign it, your severance packages will be deposited in your accounts. A courier will be arranged to collect the keys to your company cars. I'm certain that I need not remind you of the NDAs you signed when you took your roles, and the consequences for violating them?"

Several of them exchanged nervous looks, the others gave her ones of anger. Sumire took both the same way, barely hiding her disgust and annoyance. "There is nothing more to be said - you no longer have any involvement in this company. Thank you for your years of service. And for throwing them all away like the money-hungry jackals you are - it is always appreciable when the trash throws itself out, no?"

With that, she ended the call and all six screens winked out definitively. She stared at them for a moment more, then sat back in the chair. "Plato - what is the progress on their replacements?"

"More than halfway there, Miss Pegasus." Plato was scrolling through a tablet, pressing a button so that the same images he had popped out of Sumire's desk holo projector. "Unsurprisingly, most of KaibaCorp's Board has been willing to move into the empty seats rather than lose their own positions as we merge the two companies."

"I should think so, given the pay raises and benefits that I2 employees get. Maximilian must be the most humanitarian employer on the planet." Sumire said as she scanned the list. "And the remaining seats?"

"Your resounding victory in the Bride Tournament has meant many of our overtures have yielded positive responses and if we get a jump on our interviews, we can fill them by the end of the week."

"What about the manufacture and distribution of the Bleeding Edge disks and the rest of the material?"

"SchroederCorp has agreed to share production of Duel Disks and other Duel Monsters accessories with KC during the merger and have submitted very favorable offers in their deal to take over completely once the merger is finished. Valentine Shipping has also given favorable response to taking over KaibaCorp's former distribution and shipping for the majority of the planet. I2 will take over the lines in Japan and American directly."

"Good. Please start arranging for a promotional tour for the U.S. and ask Marketing for a full promotional campaign including a launch plan by the end of the week. I am going to need a catchy slogan to tag onto my speeches."

"Very good, ma'am." Plato made a few notes on his tablet. "I have already reached out to Amane Bakura to see if we cannot enlist Miss Rosemary to assist in promotional efforts and Reginald Fisk seems to bear no ill will about this whole mess and offered his company's services as well."

"Thank you. As much I am the 'face' of this new era, I do not wish to be in the spotlight anymore than I have to. I have the merger to oversee and a home to build." Sumire swiveled her chair around to gaze out of the big windows behind. Through them, she could see the castle's courtyard and the damage done to the main gate, the castle's walls and even the plateau it sat upon. Great gouges like claws knifing out hunks of the stone and piles of rubble that was unidentifiable as anything but blasted rock. "What about repairs to Duelist Kingdom?"

"That is proving more difficult. It is very hard to find a company capable of repairing the castle and even if we did, there is a matter of transporting the heavy construction equipment to the island and getting it up to the plateau. I do not know how Master Pegasus had it built in the first place." Plato admitted, looking up from his tablet. "And before even that, I would like to take the time to magically secure the island further and ensure we do not get a repeat of what happened with this…'Nitemare'."

Sumire frowned at her reflection. "How did that even happen? And will it occur again?"

"The island of Duelist Kingdom has a sordid history including a lot of violent deaths from World War II. Combined with all of the magical events that have taken place here over the last fifty years, it resulted in Nitemare. Not alive, not dead, simply existing. The summoning of Ra against Bakura is the most likely catalyst - the Eygptian gods have a habit of being involved in things like this. As your family well knows." Plato said, Sumire making a noise of irritated agreement. "But I have sent the souls and magics that made up Nitemare out into the ether, as it were. It cannot return."

"Good." Sumire was glad for that. She had encountered a few too many things like Nitemare in the catacombs of her youth and in her mind, it was best if the dead stayed that way. "And my husband?"

A smile toyed at Plato's lips. "Currently relaxing in the north tower study, if you wished to go and answer that question with your own eyes?"

Sumire felt herself be tempted, but then shook her head. "No. There is still more work to be done and I know he is the only one that Jackie will let see her true face. She has been hiding for an entire day from the rest of us. Let them have their time together." Her lips lifted in an-ever-so-slight smirk. "I imagine I have the rest of my life to spend with my husband…"

Plato chuckled and then made a swiping motion with his stylus. There was a deliberate beep from Sumire's screen behind her. "And all afternoon doing this paperwork we fell behind on with this whole Bride Tournament. The first batch is ready for your perusal."

Sumire bit back a sigh and turned to face her screen. Not everything involved in running a company could be as satisfying as firing the people who had just tried to ruin your life, after all.

TTTTTTT

Lero, contrary to Plato's surmise, was hardly relaxing. The north tower had been his father's study, his art studio a floor below. He'd been in that room only briefly, just reassuringly checking to make sure it was undisturbed and free from any malevolent specters or bad artwork. Now he was at the desk, a stack of books next to him, with Artemis curled up at his feet under the desk and a grumpy Jackie flopped on the couch.

He finished flipping through the current and closed it with a sigh and a headshake. "Sorry, Jackie. There's nothing in my father's journals about the Crimson Dragon."

The biker snorted in frustration. "Just great. Your pops travels the world, digs up more dirt than a dozen muck-rakers and we get touched by the one magical do-daw that he _doesn't _know about."

"The Internet isn't any help and the Lucindas are checking, but doubtful they'll find anything in their own histories." Lero said and turned to face her. As always, the sight of her bare face made his skin crawl. It was just for a moment and normally, that was it. But this time, he saw Jackie flinch and then felt a flicker of hurt from her. "I'm sorry, Jackie."

"Don't be. My face is a mess. Happens every time. Just not used to...feeling...what you feel." She glared at the mark filling up her forearm.

"Yeah, that is taking some getting used to." Lero admitted, scratching his cheek. "So...um...if you feel like...all tingly and horny from me, that's natural and happens all the time…"

She rolled her eyes, but he could feel the soft rise in her spirits at his bad joke. "Sky Horse, I'd be more worried if you didn't feel that when looking at me. You went after me in that shower like I was a hunk of chocolate cake and you were coming off a six month diet."

"Well, you're delicious...and I didn't know I needed that." Lero huffed back. "Otherwise, beyond getting to sample your usual passive-aggressive distaste for the rest of humanity and being able to tell where you are like I have a Jackie-compass, these marks don't seem to do anything else."

"Except I drew Crimson Starlight, summoned _your _magic dragon and then summoned an entirely new monster. And no matter how many times I look, Crimson Starlight isn't in my deck." Jackie said. "And despite all of us dueling the goon squad, none of the other girls got dragons or new body art."

"Maybe they didn't need it?" Lero winced as she glowered. "It's just a suggestion. And to be honest, there's plenty of evidence for cards and magic just happening in Shadow Games. There's the Legendary Dragons, I know Jaden Yuki has had some instances of it and even my Dad just made the Legend of Heart card without actually _giving_ it an effect. It just did things on its own."

"Lero, I don't know what any of that is. I live under a rock, remember?"

"Look, my point is we don't really _know _what caused this beyond the two of us dueling in a dangerous situation, having magic dragons and the fact there's a red star in the sky that we both feel drawn to look at." Lero tried not to be snappish - he could feel his own frustration just as much as hers. "There's just too little to go on."

"What about Fireball? She's got a dragon that twists her personality up a bit. And it's name is pretty similar to ours." Jackie asked, sitting up. "She looked ready to turn Toppa into toast during their duel and Crypt said she was kind of ruthless against Panik."

"I asked her. Kaede just shrugged." Lero sighed again. "This is going to be something we're going to have to live with for the moment, I guess. I'm sure somewhere down the line, it'll all be revealed. Probably at the worst possible moment during a tournament finals."

"I don't have time for that. I have roads to ride on, bikers to brawl with and bars to drink dry!" Jackie protested half-seriously. "And I don't 'do' tournaments. They're boring. It's all just dick-measuring and ego inflation."

Lero lifted an eyebrow. "If that's the case, shouldn't you have the biggest one right now? You just won the American Southwest Regional a couple of months ago."

"That's different - I needed spending money. And it was a dare." Jackie defended herself. "And I was drunk."

Lero smiled. "That...just speaks for itself. And speaking of money…" He broke off, suddenly very conscious of her and the fact they were in a small room and she was blocking the only door.

"Sky Horse. You're feeling like I just caught you looking at my porn stash." Jackie's eyes narrowed. "You better not be about to offer me money for my surgeries."

"...okay, 'offer' might be a strong word…"

"Lero!"

"Jackie, I am one of the richest men on the planet! And I know the Lucinda family personally! I don't even have to give you money, I can just set up an appointment-"

"No, no and no!" She was up off the couch, stomping over to him so fiercely Artemis squeezed out from under the desk and positioned herself between the two. "_I _fucked up, _I _got my face like this, _I _am going to fix it! I didn't need anyone's help to get like this, I don't need it to look how I want!"

Lero growled in annoyance, but her irritation and resolve were apparent to him and he'd ridden this dead horse enough to know it just wasn't going to budge no matter how hard he beat it.

Jackie glared at him a moment more, then her tone softened. Her face couldn't move to match it, but he could feel it. "You got your heart in the right place, Sky Horse and believe me, that's enough, alright? It's more than I can say for anyone else I really know. So just care like you do and when I'm all done up and sexier than Rosemary, I'll give you first look."

Lero bit back the urge to say she was already sexy - it wasn't something she wanted to hear and would make their argument last longer. Instead, he just nodded. "Okay. But promise me you won't just go off the grid. We're caught up in something now and it's something better faced together than alone."

"I don't think our new marks will let us," Jackie grumbled. "But fine, I promise to check in once a week. If you give me money for a phone. And a plane ticket home. And gas money."

"Plato will give your payment in pre-paid debit card, per usual."

"Good." She threw a ball of paper at him. "I'm going to raid your old man's art studio - see if I can papier mache a temporary mask."

"...it's an art studio. Not a pre-school craft room!"

"Does he have PVA glue, balloons and tissue paper or not?"

"...second cupboard on the left."

Smirking, Jackie patted him on the cheek. "Tell Plato to send up a large breakfast - I'll need it before I leave. And call me if you need anything? Even if it's just to tell me how you're pissing off your wife."

"What makes you think _I'll _be the one pissing her off?!"

"...call it experience, Sky Horse. Just call it experience."

OOO

"No, Dad, you don't have to come out here, take names and kick ass." Jessie smiled at the phone's screen. "We dealt with the magic bullshit ourselves."

_"I wasn't talking about that, I was talking about that punk Yoshito! Where the hell does a guy like that get off, thinking he can just make a woman a piece of property, eh?" _Even after decades of living in Japan, Joey Wheeler's Brooklyn accent still made his anger palpable. "_And harassing my little girl and my favorite niece on live TV like some sleezy reporter! I outta give him a piece of my mind! And my boot!"_

"Trust me, Dad, the Internet will see him get extra helpings of his just desserts."

"_Yeah, a slice of humble pie! Topped with sour whipped cream! And with a black licorice cherry on top! Served up with a side of Joey Wheeler a'la mode!" _

Jessie's smile grew as she saw a pair of hands slip in and out of frame, along with a familiar triangle of magenta and black hair. _"Joey, I know you're angry, but please stop waving my laptop around! I didn't get Apple Care!"_

Even in middle age, one could still picture Yugi Mutou jumping up and down trying to rescue his precious technology from the high reaches of his best friend.

"Don't worry, Uncle Yugi. It's about time for lunch, anyway. Kaede and I'll be home before nightfall, alright? Give my love to Mom and Aunt Serenity." Jessie blew them a kiss and ended the call - even as the screen's angle tipped dangerously and she heard her father's 'Oops!' before the screen went out.

Pocketing her phone, she stepped away from the window towards the table that had been set up for them. Verthy, Kaede, Rosemary and Raymon were already there, helping themselves to food. The blonde let her eyes rove over the platters and gaped as she saw a nearly empty one. "Hey- which one of you took all the spicy wings?"

"Snooze, you lose, cuz." Kaede informed her with a smirk, taking a deliberate bite of the chicken wing.

"I was answering dad's call!" Jessie protested as she sat down, grabbing the few remaining wings desperately. "You know, letting our worried families' know we're both okay after the tournament and all that magical stuff!"

"Refer to my previous statement - I rang my mom when I woke up this morning." Kaede snickered as Jessie sulked. "See, this is why you never get anything good - you're lazy. It takes you an hour to get out of bed."

"It does not!"

"Wellll…" Raymon said slowly. "I mean, sometimes, around noon, I have to drop an ice cube on your back to get you to move-"

"Hush you." Jessie swatted him playfully on the arm and then dug her teeth into a wing. "Everyone else get in touch with their families okay?"

"My father and my teacher were terribly pleased by my success in the tournament. Less so by the supernatural happenings, though my teacher simply just sighed in a knowing way when I explained it. He said those who use the Destiny Hero deck will get more than their fair share of such things." Verthy said, dabbing at her mouth politely with a napkin.

"Amane was pleased with my victories, too." Rosemary said flatly and then busied herself buttering up a slice of cornbread.

Jessie made a face, but didn't follow-up on that. Rosemary and her relationship with her mother/manager was something of a sore point for everyone and usually, any attempt to pry just left the white-haired woman frosty and distant.

So she picked another topic to chase up. "So any of you business people hear what's happened to Yoshito? Has Ironwrought gone up in flames yet? Lynch mob outside his house?"

"Surprisingly, no." Verthy said with a touch of frustration. "After that business with Nitemare, he just gathered up his Pros and left. As far as I know, he's simply holed up in his family home. And despite the Internet howling for blood, Ironwrought's stocks have stabilized after their plummet and no one's made any announcements about firing him or removing him or anything."

"I can tell you why. Japanese culture is still strongly feudal in some ways and money talks - he's probably fired a few people who helped him set this up and I know the Japanese government has done the same. But he still is heavily invested in the Japanese Special Defense Force - there's no way they'll just drop him with the money he's throwing at them. Can't lose any face by admitting they were wrong, just shove someone else under the bus." Kaede said distastefully, tearing a hunk off her wings. "And given how he's got a new story with Nitemare and everything, I imagine his research into supernatural weapons and stuff suddenly has a lot more merit."

"I thought the U.N. had a department for that - Dark Virtue or something? Should we tell them about it?" Raymon asked. Seeing them all give him confused looks, he continued. "You all just survived brutal life-or-death duels and nearly _died. _Lero's castle is in ruins and he's cursed by a sun god, right? So what's the next step in dealing with all that? We can't just ignore that it happened!"

"We are not, Raymon, but you have to understand, there is no one to tell." Verthy said after a moment. "The police are not going to be able to help - it is not like they can arrest a ghost."

"And people still ignore magic, it isn't anything they want to deal with and its safer if they just imagine it always happening to someone else." Kaede put in. "My dad's autobiography is put in the 'fiction' section in most bookstores, ya know? They like to keep the blinders on."

"You just told me Ironwrought has a department specifically focused on magical weapons!" Raymon said in exasperation.

"So does most every major weapons manufacturer and military, as well researching psychics, aliens and who-knows-what else." Verthy said with a polite smile. "It may be an open secret...but it's still a secret."

He gaped at them and then turned to Jessie, looking at her imploringly. "Tell me there's something to do. A therapist, a report to file, even some sage atop a mountain who can step down and teach us ki blasts or something."

Jessie put a hand comforting hand on his arm. "Raymon, hun, I know this is a lot to take in and really confusing, but that's all we can do. Just take in and process it and come to grips with it. And our families have a history of this. It's not anything new."

"That's just...I can't believe you, Jess-Jess! How is this normal to anyone?" Raymon shook his head and threw up his hands. "So is everyone just going to go home after all this?"

"That's a point - this place is wrecked." Kaede pointed out the window to where the destruction of the castle wall was letting a glorious view of the sea. "Where's Lero and Sumire going to sleep?"

"Lero said that they would be moving into the Kaiba family mansion as a temporary home while he looks for a more permanent place to live in Domino. And KaibaCorp Tower will become I2's new headquarters until Duelist Kingdom is repaired." Verthy said.

Jessie couldn't help herself and cackled into her drink. "That'll have Seto Kaiba rolling over in his grave - not only is a Pegasus married to his daughter, but he's moving into his house!"

"That doesn't seem like anything to laugh over." Rosemary cut in curtly. "They're forced to be married to each other and can't divorce without losing everything. And they only knew about this for one day before!"

"We won, Rosemary, it isn't-" Kaede started

"Lero is _cursed! _What's more, he now has that mark of the Crimson Dragon or whatever it is called! If we are all so casual as to accept these magical things happening to us, then I don't think we should ignore the fact that this could potentially get so much worse for him!" The British woman snapped. "And I don't care what you saw, Verthy! A threesome does not make everything better!"

With that, she shoved her chair away and swept from the room, the door banging behind her.

"Well…" Jessie said after a moment. "I guess it's too much to ask for a 'everybody laughs' ending…"

Kaede slapped her cousin on the back of her head.

"Yeah, I deserved that-"

TTTTTT

Sumire likened Maximillion's room to a pharaoh's tomb in ways both good and bad. The way he was resting, the cards, gifts and decorations decorating the wall in lieu of sapphire and gold, the shelves full of books and his new deck on the bed combined with the ever-present silence uncomfortably suggested that this was his final resting place and he would need all these things in the afterlife.

The good way was there was a sense of spirituality here as well, the feeling that the things physically present in the room were not the _only _things present. Having grown up in such places, the feeling she was not alone was reassuring and that if she spoke, someone would be listening.

_I can only hope that Maxmillion is benevolent and not going to tie my shoelaces together when I am not looking. _Sumire had only heard good things about the man, but she would not put it past him to take being a ghost as a chance to be an obnoxious poltergeist for the sheer chicanery. And then maybe give her flowers as an apology.

Still, the risk was all the more reason to stand and be quick about this than sitting down. "I want to thank you. For helping me. And helping Bellerophon."

She touched the side of her head where the Bleeding Edge Disk had rested the previous day. "...I'm still not sure how you did it, even with the assistance of magic, but...you saved us both. I won't ever forget it."

Silence followed her words and thickened with every 'beep' of the heart monitor. Sumire dug around in her head for more words and found none, but couldn't bring her feet to move. It felt rude somehow.

She was saved from her indecision by the feeling of something large pressing into her legs. She looked down - Artemis was leaning on her and looking expectant. Sumire stepped out of the room and let the dog half-push, half-lead her down the hallway and a corner.

Lero looked up from where he and Plato were seated at a table on a balcony at the far end, a small smile on his face. "See - I told you Artemis treats her like part of the flock. Better than a radar."

"You realize we could have just sent her a text message, like a normal person?" Plato reminded his charge gently.

"She's a Pegasus now - she needs to get used to the weird things, the magical things and the silly things." Lero fired back, then addressed Sumire as she came up to the table. "Have a seat. We've got cookies to celebrate your first day of running a trillion-dollar company, kicking ass and taking names."

"Thank you." Sumire seated herself and grabbed a chocolate cookie from the plate. It was still warm and melted deliciously on her tongue. "My first day has gone well, but I am certain the days ahead are going to be troubling and difficult. And in ways beyond the usual bureaucracy and spreadsheets."

"Yeah, it's kind of obvious, isn't it?" Lero said with a huff. "For the most immediate thing, the fallout from the Bride Tournament is going to last for months, if not years. Which means the PR department are all going to need some big raises to motivate them to handle this mess."

"I've already taken the liberty of arranging the paperwork for such a thing." Sumire informed him, a frown crossing her face. "That said, I cannot shake the feeling that this whole mess was something of a smokescreen."

"It was." Lero looked very unhappy. "Someone got into the Vault. We're missing a lot of important magical things."

Sumire started, then her eyes narrowed. "Yoshito."

"That's our belief, yes. But we have no idea how he would be able to get in there. And no proof that he did. Which means we cannot accuse him of the thefts." Plato said. "And we do not even know why he would want them. They're items related to Duel Monsters, not weaponry."

"Perhaps he is looking to weaponize the game. It has been responsible for many threats in the last few decades and was also responsible for stopping them." Sumire suggested. "And his company has been doing magical research for a long time. If he had acquired the Bleeding Edge technology along with these artifacts, he may have...I do not know...been able to bring monsters truly to life?"

Lero chewed on a cookie contemplatively. "I don't think he's the one directly responsibly. Someone made him pull this stunt. Someone who could make one of the most powerful companies in the world basically shoot itself in the stomach just so he could steal some things from our Vault. And my instincts say that wasn't even the tip of the iceberg - no, someone wanted us to be the world's most expensive distraction for a reason."

Sumire considered that, helping herself to another cookie. Off the balcony railing, she could see the devastation done to the castle. "That is a lot of damage caused just for a distraction. And I don't just mean property damage."

"Which means whatever they were covering for must be worth it. And in my experience, such expensive things tend to be very dangerous and usually to the entire world." Plato said, his expression darkening for a few moments. "And given the theft of the Vault's artifacts, we found ourselves short on ways to defend ourselves against whatever it is."

"Well, I've got my new tattoo." Lero lifted his right arm to display the dragon's head taking up his forearm. "And that did the cool thing of 'create a magical fix the situation card'. Which is usually a good thing, right?"

But Plato's expression didn't lighten. "Markings like that, Young Master, mean you are marked for a destiny. And it will be unavoidable. And dangerous. And unfortunately for us, we have no way of knowing if this 'Crimson Dragon' and whoever is manipulating Yoshito are related at all."

"And that's to say nothing of your curse, Bellerophon," Sumire put in. "If we continue to wind up in situations like this, we may be unable to avoid you dueling again. We cannot just avoid it. We simply must find a way to cure it."

Plato and Lero exchanged looks before her husband spoke. "It's not as simple as that. We've been trying since I was cursed to cure it. And not even the Luncinda family has any luck and they know more about magic than the rest of the world put together. There just isn't a 'cure'."

"There is. You lacked something in your initial investigations," Sumire declared. Seeing both men eye her in surprise, she merely tilted her head. "Me. You need a cure, Bellerophon. I am going to find it for you. Simple as that."

Lero sighed good-naturedly. "Sumire, you've already taken up running Industrial Illusions and that is a full-time job. _And _you are planning on inventing cutting-edge technology, too. I don't think even you can handle a third impossible job in the form of fixing my god-inflicted curse."

Sumire felt that deep instinct - the same one that had driven her to get a tattoo, to do the impossible and make Seto Kaiba's personal technology work for her, and to fly to Duelist Kingdom to sign a marriage contract - flare at his words. It was the feeling of resolve hardening inside her, when someone tried to tell her that she couldn't do something. "Watch me."

"Sumire, really, I don't think you grasp exactly what it is I'm cursed by-"

"And I think you have forgotten who it is you married." She scowled. "I am your wife, Bellerophon. I have already been told numerous times - mostly by Rosemary - that that entails more than simply signing a piece of paper and aiding you in business."

"So of course you think that means trying to defy a Sun God not a day into our marriage." Lero sighed in defeat. "Because that's what married people do for honeymoons."

"You cannot say it is not a memorable one," Plato said in amusement. "And if our track record is anything to go by, Young Master, this problem is going to have to be solved with Duel Monsters. Which means you get to teach your already-talented wife something she does not already know."

Sumire frowned at the idea, but Lero perked up. "You have a point there, Plato." He turned to his wife, beaming. "I accept your wedding gift. And I hope you will accept mine in return - teaching you how to play Duel Monsters."

"I have already explained that I do not like Duel Monsters-"

"Because of Seto Kaiba." Lero finished, causing her to arch her eyebrows "Plato's right - we got lucky last night. Next time you might be on your own."

He didn't say it, but the way he caught Sumire's eye told her that he suspected what she suspected about the previous night - that she hadn't been alone in her head when she'd grabbed the deck and run off to his aid.

Then Lero's tone softened and he was back to caring. "He's ruined so much of your life already Sumire. Please don't let him stand in the way of our future?"

She felt herself shrink as she realised the truth of his words. _Have I really spent so long avoiding anything to do with Seto Kaiba that I've hampered myself in the process out of spite?_ She hadn't known she could be so petty. "Very well. You may teach me."

He lit up like a boy discovering a PlayStation under the Christmas tree. And suddenly that made any level of association with Seto Kaiba worth it. "Excellent. So, let's start off easily. What do you already know about Duel Monsters?"

OOO

_A/N: __It took me almost an entire year, but at last this story is finished. Or at least, this arc is done and dusted._

_There's still more adventures for Lero, Sumire and all the rest to have. They weren't the only ones to have their destinies awakened and not all of those who did can be considered 'good'. And there are still so many questions to answer - who is Yoshito working for? What did they distract the world with the Bride Tournament? And the Crimson Dragon - just how is it involved in all of this?_

_The next leg will hopefully answer some of those questions and unlock a few more along the way. It will be a tale of family revenge, the battle against the will of fate and what it means to truly love someone._

_See it all in - Nightmare Troubadour!_

_And yes, I am totally picking that title for the branding value. It'll be out...whenever my editor says it can be out. So, you know, go butter up Mei1105 for me by reading her 'Something Borrowed' story and leaving a few reviews. (And do it anyway just because it's that good.)_


End file.
